Bae Baglan School Construction Brings Wider Benefits To Local Area
The Construction of the new state-of-the-art Ysgol Bae Baglan has brought enormous benefits to the area. The £40 million project not only brought some of the latest technology to pupils but it also brought jobs, investment and prospects for the local community.
In a report which is going to Neath Port Talbot Council’s Economic and Community Regeneration Cabinet next week officers have spelt out the important gains to the area from the scheme which was part funded by the Welsh Government’s 21st Century Schools and Education programme.
Contracts totalling over £12 million were awarded to local businesses based in the Neath Port Talbot and Swansea Bay area while a further £16m in contracts went to companies based elsewhere in Wales.
This meant more than 85% of the contracts were awarded in Wales.
But there were other significant outputs from the two year contract. More than 300 people from Neath Port Talbot worked on the project including 146 who had been previously unemployed.
A total of 73 trainees were involved in the project including 50 apprentices and more than 44 people gained qualifications as a direct result of the scheme.
There were 11 work experience placements and altogether the scheme delivered more than 3,700 training weeks.
The main contractor Bouygues UK were also involved in encouraging local children to take part in sport and physical activity through sponsorship of the Wizards League which result in a 300 % increase in netball, 25 % increase in rugby teams in the area.
Neath Port Talbot Council also supports the National Skills Academy for Construction in South West Wales, a programmed based skills academy, the first of its kind in the UK.
This involves a number of clients across the public sector working together with different contractors to deliver training outcomes.
Achieving the aims of the Academy meant local businesses were helped to grow and become more competitive and better equipped to tender for future projects in the area.
The Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council, Cllr Ali Thomas OBE said: “The new Bae Baglan School has provided great opportunities not just for pupils in the area who are now studying in one of only four Microsoft Showcase Schools in Wales, but also for local businesses and communities.
“At Neath Port Talbot we ensure projects like this benefit the whole community; providing jobs, work placements, and qualifications for trainees and apprentices wherever possible.
“It has been an immensely important scheme for the area and judging by the outcomes it has been a huge success in many areas,” he added.
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