The Director of West Suffolk College’s new Construction Technical Excellence College (CTEC) says it will ‘drive forward collaboration across the industry’.
Liv Bradley, who took on the role in February, is passionate about construction education – not only giving young people access to training and clear routes to competency but also helping those looking to upskill or change careers.
Liv has quite the story herself, starting in the industry as a teenage apprentice site carpenter.
Construction Anglia spoke to Liv about her life, career and what she sees for the future of construction in the East of England.
Liv grew up in a little village near York, however she often found life at school a struggle and left without any qualifications.
“I didn’t receive much support in terms of careers and progression,” she said. “But I always had this inner drive to create a positive life for myself.
“I wanted to work hard to progress, to make some money and have a good career.”
She developed a love of carpentry as a teenager, helping her step-father fitting kitchens.
“It was then I decided I wanted to get into carpentry,” she said, “but it was a challenge.
“I didn’t have any qualifications from school so couldn’t do my Level 1 carpentry. However, I managed to get on the course eventually, after a long struggle.
“But when I started the course, I ended up doing really well and got a carpentry apprenticeship soon after I qualified.”
From there she became a Level 3 Site Carpenter. Inspired by wanting to help other people like her find a career, she decided she wanted to get into education.
“I ended up doing a Higher National Certificate (HNC) qualification in Construction and the Built Environment and gained my teaching qualification,” she said.
Liv moved to Norwich in 2018 and started working at City College Norwich.
While she was there, she set up the college’s T-Level courses, spending three years on the project.
However, as an ambitious 27-year-old, Liv wanted to get into a management role.
Liv moved to adult learning at Norfolk County Council taking on the role of Curriculum Manager for Construction and Environmental Sustainability before returning to City College Norwich as its Head of Construction.
However, when she heard West Suffolk College was looking for someone to lead the new CTEC, she jumped at the chance to take on a new challenge.
The CTEC is funded with a £100m investment and looks to train 40,000 learners by 2029.
The Government has assigned a £100m investment to support the ten CTECs across England, to train 40,000 learners by 2029.
It seeks to break down barriers to opportunity, supporting both young learners and those retraining in new skills.
The CTEC East of England is concentrating on the following three strands across the region – housebuilding development, infrastructure development and heritage skills.
Liv said the CTEC was an amazing chance to provide employment opportunities across the region.
“I want the CTEC to spur on and drive forward construction in the East of England,” she said.
“For me it’s about social mobility, progression routes through competency and career mapping – they are really important to me.
“In the UK, we have recently reached 1 million NEETS (Not in Employment, Education or Training), so there are lots of people out there who could find a place in the industry.
“It’s about getting people into learning, gaining experience and into apprenticeships.
“Suffolk’s East of England CTEC is a chance to drive things forward.”
Liv said the CTEC was an opportunity to continue West Suffolk College’s longstanding mission to bridge the gap between education and industry.
“Within Education we sometimes work in silos, and the CTEC is an opportunity to work more collaboratively and have a greater impact,” she said.
“CTECs are driving through collaboration, bringing everybody together and redefining how education works with the industry.
“It’s about meeting the needs of employers, asking them what they need from those leaving education and starting their construction careers.
West Suffolk College has always worked closely with employers to keep its curriculum aligned with industry needs, and that demand continues to grow.
“We have around 20 big infrastructure projects in the East of England, including the major Sizewell C power station project, so are in need of a capable workforce to get this important work completed.”
For more information on the Construction Technical Excellence College at West Suffolk College, see www.wsc.ac.uk/about-the-college/construction-technical-excellence-college
