LONDON - On behalf of the Battersea Power Station shareholders, Battersea Power Station Development Company (“BPSDC”) is pleased to have worked with Phase 1 main contractor Carillion to hold a series of events with Women Into Construction (WIC) and Open Doors (OD) this week to promote the wide variety of construction roles involved in creating the first mixed-use phase at Battersea Power Station.

Wednesday saw Jenne Blake from WIC visit Circus West (Phase 1) and meet the six women referred for work by the organisation and who currently undertake roles as diverse as plumbing, site logistics and permit controller.

All the operatives are residents of Lambeth or Wandsworth, the two boroughs that Carillion and its sub-contractors work hard to recruit from by working in partnership with the local job brokerages Wandsworth Work Match and Lambeth Working. The brokerages in turn work with referral organisations such as WIC who source candidates for the vacancies on site.

From far left: members of Women Into Construction, Lauren Hibbert, Rita Rodrigues, Bella Murtagh, Jenne Blake, Sade Richards, Christine Penfold, and Maria Ocampo

Jenne Blake, Project Manager from WIC, said: “We have helped to place eight women into one of the largest construction sites in Europe and it is exciting to see them in action today. I would urge any women inspired by their success to contact us as this is the start of the journey for Battersea Power Station with construction expected through to 2025.”

Rita Rodrigues, Traffic Marshall for O’Neill & Brennan, currently working on Circus West, said: ‘It’s exciting to be involved in the first phase of such a huge development, it’s an impressive site and I am thrilled to begin my construction career here.”

On Thursday and Friday last week, the Carillion team also hosted 50 members of the public who are interested in pursuing a career in construction through the OD scheme. More than 100 construction sites are participating in OD this year to give insights into the range of roles available in the industry.

Circus West - designed by dRRM and SimpsonHaugh Partners - offers over 1million sq. ft. of residential and commercial space, and end to end its length is greater than the height of The Shard. With over 5 million hours worked on Phase 1 to date, the visitors had the opportunity to tour site and see the hard work of the 1,800 operatives who work on the Phase 1 site currently.

The tours were led by project leads at Carillion and visitors had a chance to view work underway and meet contractors in roles such as plastering, fit out, façade installation and M&E.

Mike Grice, Construction Director at BPSDC, said: “OD and WIC are two programmes of work through which we are able to share the expertise and passion of our construction workforce at Battersea Power Station, to inspire the next generation. We will have job opportunities in construction throughout the next decade and by opening our doors and telling our stories, we want to fuel new career choices.”

Keith Hutton, Senior Project Director, from Carillion, said: “Carillion is delighted to support the WIC and OD initiatives both of which fit well with our company values and diversity and inclusion ethos. From a personal perspective I am passionate about creating opportunity to introduce new people to our industry – especially apprentices – and Carillion is one of the construction industry’s foremost training providers in this respect. Events such as these are an important platform for showcasing the dynamic and fulfilling careers that are available within our exciting industry.”

Kam Bains, who toured Circus West as through the OD programme, said: “What a site and such an informative and thoughtfully planned tour. It was great to see so much building underway. This is such an innovative and exciting project which will bring jobs and homes to the local area.”

The Battersea Power Station site is owned by a consortium of Malaysian investors comprising S P Setia, Sime Darby and the Employees’ Provident Fund who are committed to extending the social benefits of the development into the neighbouring community.

The OD and WIC events are examples of many programmes running across the Nine Elms area that aim to inspire local young people and ensure the benefits of regeneration are reaped now. For more information on the Nine Elms programme, please visit nineelmslondon.com/education-links-building-ambitions.