By CONOR MURPHY
It’s a Thursday afternoon at the Construction Skills Course at Dublin Port. For Jim Hargis, Education and Training Hub Manager for St Andrew’s Resource Centre, it’s just another induction day.
However, for the roughly 30 people in the room who are the latest programme hopefuls, what he is saying could be truly life changing.
“I don’t know anything about construction work and I’m not an official of any sort,” Hargis tells the room with a wry smile.
“But I do know about employment and jobs. What I can promise you is this course will take away all the barriers in front of you when it comes to giving you what you need to find a job. This course is not about catching anybody out and nobody fails. We don’t care about your past, we don’t care about your CV. Whatever you need to find a job, we will support you in any way we can.”
Hargis has been working on the Construction Skills Course since its inception in 2017. The origins of the programme can be traced to a joint effort involving the Department of Social Protection, St Andrew’s Resource Centre, and Dublin City Council.
The endeavour emerged from the necessity for a nearby workforce to aid in the construction of the incinerator site in Ringsend in 2016 and the Strategic Development Zones in Dublin Docklands. St Andrew’s Resource Centre formulated a plan to streamline the hiring process for local workers on the eastern side of the inner city.
Necessary tools for success
The programme’s core philosophy is evident: to deliver unemployed individuals with the necessary tools for success in the construction sector. From supplying Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to instilling essential skills and promoting a strong work ethic, the curriculum strives to ready individuals for the challenges of construction labour.
The results from this one-of-a-kind course speak for themselves with over 65% of graduates gaining a job start after completing the three-week programme. Notable companies that have hired graduates include John Sisk & Son, Careys Building & Civil Engineering, Walls Construction, Alufix, and Clarke Concrete.
“Back when we started this in 2017, we thought we’d run eight courses and graduate 50 people. We thought that would have been a good result. It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come,” Hargis said.
Fast forward seven years and the course has now seen 1,300 graduates.
Alec Hayden, who owns and runs Construction Industry Training which provides training for the course, believes there are several reasons for the success of the programme.
“What we do is deliver a hands-on, practical course that is managed in house and meets the needs of employers,” Hayden explains.
“For example, if an employer asks us on a Thursday for a change on the modules, we can have that in place by the Monday and that gives us a real advantage.
“We are redefining relevant upskilling in a unique environment to meet employers demands.”
Hayden admits he “lives and breathes” the course and is constantly amazed by the people he meets through it.
“Some of the stories and the people we come across, it’s incredible,” Hayden said. “We had one person, an asylum seeker, who saved up their money each week to top-up their Leap Card so that they could get here and back each day from Galway on the bus. There are countless stories of people who have used this course as a springboard to turn their lives around.”
All types of backgrounds
Hargis and Hayden have seen the type of candidates they are attracting diversify in recent years as word of the course has grown. As well as Dubliners, today there are both male and female from over 40 nationalities and all types of backgrounds.
Patience Dube worked in an administrative capacity in a secondary school in her native Zimbabwe. After completing the programme last summer, and also adding a cleaning course to bolster her skillset, she was hired to work within the programme.
“Patience understood exactly what we were about from the moment she set foot in the door,” Hayden explained. “Her work ethic and the way she carries herself stood out to us. As luck had it, we needed someone to work in an admin role and we always believe it’s best to upskill those familiar with the programme.”
“I learnt so much from the course,” Dube said. “They helped me with my application for a work permit and promised me a job while I waited for it to be approved. They checked in with me every week and it meant the world the me that they waited.”
Michael Ryan is a 27-year-old graduate with a very different story. Having spent six months in Mountjoy Prison, he emerged seeking to turn his life around. Ryan points to the support he received during three weeks on the course – and beyond – for doing just that.
“If it wasn’t for the lads running this course I wouldn’t be where I am today,” he admitted. “I am a laidback person by nature, but I focussed my mind for this course when I got out of prison. It helped me turn my life around. I went into the course thinking ‘this might not be for me’ but I had mates who worked in construction, and they said go for it – it really worked in my favour.
Prepping for the interview
“Even after I had completed the course, Alec and the team helped me prep for the job interview – they couldn’t have done enough for me. I got the job coming out of the course in 2022 and I was made permanent about a year later, just before Christmas. My life is back on track. I have a girlfriend of six years, I have a kid on the way and I’m now saving for a house. I know for a fact none of that would have been possible if I hadn’t done the course.”
The course – which runs throughout the year – continues to go from strength to strength and expects to cross 2,000 total graduates in 2024.
For more information, email:
Jim.hargis@standrews.ie or call 083 166 4892
