Apprentice Centre Warrington Project

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Apprentice Centre Warrington Project
About:

Apprentice Centre Warrington Project
The Relationship Centre

We are an award winning local charity working, supporting young people at risk, care leavers and families in difficulties. Established in 1999 we deal with a wide spectrum of relationship problems from those initial issues that can be addressed by employing cognitive behavioural and solution-focused therapies, through to family mediation support. In addition, we specialise in intervention services for those with acute, historical and inter-generational relationship issues. Our services address the associated addictive behaviours such as self-harm, drug and alcohol misuse, running away, abusive and sexualised behaviours.

The Relationships Centre is a registered charity in England and Wales. Reg. No: 1078372.  The Relationships Centre (Cheshire) Ltd is the sole trading arm of the Relationships Centre. Company Reg. No 05173755.

Apprentice Centre Warrington Project
The Site

Fig. 2 Aerial view for site and surrounds

Apprentice Centre Warrington Project
The Client’s Ambition 

(not seen by Brian Murphy before preparing the paper in left column)

The Life Skills Academy

Our Vision: Sustainable employment  and greater life chances for care leavers.

Aim: We aim to tackle poor outcomes for disadvantaged Young people by building their employability through recycling opportunities and apprenticeships.

Objective: is to provide intensive emotional wraparound support matched with real job placements.

We will do this by working alongside our private and public partners to ensure a successful transition to adulthood and independent living for these young people.

We will raise the aspirations of local Young people between the ages of 16 and 19 who are care leavers or classed as not in education, employment or training and support them to achieve their goals and dreams.

Our unique selling point is that we prepare and offer Young People a ‘job contract’

We do this by:

• – Providing real job’s through working with our private company and partners.
• – Providing wraparound emotional support to assist the Young person to obtain, maintain and sustain the job opportunity.
• – Providing a training solution to prepare the Young people for the opportunity.
• – Providing stable accommodation to increase and sustain engagement levels.

The Model:

The development of the Social Enterprise is evolving daily but the structure is as follows:

There are four sections that make up the Social Enterprise, based on sound principles that enable a young people to combine a journey through emotional literacy with the acquisition of the Life Skills they need to have a realistic chance of achieving their full potential. We will achieve this through the use of a cost effective and sustainable model.

The Aim of the LSA will be to take on young people who are currently classed as NEET- Not in Employment, Education or Training. The majority will be care leavers however we will consider others who are in the NEET category but who have not been placed in the care of the local authority. Enabling them to understand and contribute to the communities in which they live. -The reasoning behind this is that the Government is providing funding opportunities for this group and that makes this a fundable resource.

Our objective is to combine therapeutic interventions with business development- this will be achieved by creating a partnership between the Third Sector, the Business sector and the statutory sector (the Corporate Parent).

1. The Life Skills Academy– this will be a building built by for and with young people it will be designed using the skills of people like Brian Murphy the architect who specified the British Library together with other forward thinking people who care about creating a suitable environment. It will be built by young people as part of their apprenticeship, we are working in partnership with Warrington Collegiate, which is part of Chester University (we also have interest from a number of other Universities. We will also involve local businesses through the local chamber of commerce. This element will be driven by The Relationships Centre with commitment and support from the other elements. It will provide a full range of emotional literacy training together with the essential life skills that we all need to succeed in our daily lives.

Our client group will be made up of young people who are currently in the care of the Local Authority, there will be a unit cost for each place operating on a sliding scale dependent on need and Interventions needed. The cost will also relate to the amount of time needed. Initial interest has been very positive, the Director of Children’s services from East Cheshire stated “this is a major section of core business that no one has managed to address effectively.
You will be pushing at an open door” and “I have already identified a funding stream “.

Additional meetings are planned with representatives of Children’s Services in different areas.

2. Training Flats– One of the most consistent and difficult to resolve issues affecting young people and in particular care leavers is independent living accommodation, the Local Authority has a duty to help each young person obtain accommodation once they leave residential care. But in practice this is often very difficult to achieve with the limited opportunities available. Often when a training flat is available it is an area where the young person cannot be supported effectively and where they may be exposed to additional negative external influences, that they are not skilled to deal with. The training flats will provide the young care leavers with the opportunity to live in a supported environment that enables them to continue on their journey to independent living whilst ensuring that they are able to access support and guidance on a daily basis. The flats will be allocated as part of a package that will be offered to L.A’s. Initially we are planning a base package cost that will cover a fixed period of six months. Where a young person has specific needs or requires additional time at the LSA these will be added in three month increments.  This is not a long term placement and is intended to enable them to gain the emotional Literacy and life skills that they require to succeed in life, it is also intended to lead them into the world of employment and this will be via the third element of the S.E.

3. Employment and training– The vast majority of young people referred to the S.E via the LSA will require an introduction to work or additional training, so prior to and throughout their initial involvement with the project they will be provided with information and experience relating to  all the opportunities available to them. One of the biggest issues facing the Charity sector has always been the issue of sustainability and the need to rely on grants and service level agreements with L.A’s. This has meant that organisations have developed services in line with funding opportunity’s rather than the needs identified by their clients. As most grants are for three years at a time, at the end of this period this has often meant that they have been unable to continue to provide those services that are grant dependent, even though there is an identified and proven need.

Although the LSA will still seek out funding opportunities to develop and provide new and additional services our aim is to develop other funding streams to assist with sustainability. To this end we will be developing the fourth element.

4. The recycling service– This element will provide a cost effective business response to recycling issues affecting the whole of the UK it will also provide the opportunity for the LSA service users to experience a range of working experiences. This will be a combination service providing several recycling opportunities by obtaining contracts to provide, for example light bulbs recycling and Fiber glass, etc. It will also be able to take over other contracts to do with recycling for example perspective coloring rubber for KBI Europe ltd- this is currently carried out in house but as the teams become busier this will cease to be a practical response. This element will be a company in its own right. To enable it to help support the LSA it will managed and directed by a team of people who understand all the elements that make up this venture and are best placed to drive this forward starting with a pilot model which will be developed and enhanced and can then replicated in other areas.

Apprentice Centre Warrington Project
Response to a request for a marketing image

• This was all prepared in a rush without a formal briefing only sight of a site plan

Apprentice Centre Warrington Project
The Proposal

Hello everybody

I have over the past week been sketching ideas about the approach to the site development.

I have also voiced my view about designing before being briefed in the 6 pages you have already received. (left column)

In my job I see a lot of ‘post-rationalisation’ of designs to fit an inadequately considered brief, this is not what this project is about.

So I have not designed a building but just started sketching ideas.

I would much rather invite you into the briefing and design evolution process than invite you to tell me how wonderful the elevations look (so what? how does the place work for nurturing and training?)

I would also prefer to receive your feedback face to face and collectively rather than by email so we can discuss it and get to the real requirements.

Over the weekend I have put 2 No. A2 (each 4 No. A4 sized) (above) boards together about the project with text, sketches and building sections showing relationships, these are not letting agent perspectives or aerials.

I will now go to get them scanned so they can be emailed and printed at your local Kallkwik, Prontaprint or Staples print shop.

Do let me know if you would prefer me to post hard copy to you.

Please send me your postal address if you prefer or I will find a local shop for printing in which case send me your postal address (including postcode)

Regards

Hi Brian

Although I haven’t met you yet, but having read the document you sent I am so grateful to you for your time, energy and focus, the paper is absolutely amazing and just wanted to say a big thank you and hopefully one day I may get to meet up with you and complement you in person .       

Kind regards

© GBE GBC GBL NGS ASWS Brian Murphy aka BrianSpecMan **
8th October 2011 – 17th January 2021

Apprentice Centre Warrington Project
Brief For The Image

• It could show attractive buildings, set in an attractive landscape, a residential and learning environment with leisure space and activities.
• Showing a design of a building that has not come from a briefing and design process is akin to ‘speculative developer’ approach to selling land with buildings for short term profit with no interest in the long term impact on the users.
• If is shows anything it needs to show the Apprentices and their activities at eye level and show how many activities relate to each other and how the people interact with each other to form a coherent whole of interdependence and mutual support.
• The image needs to show the site its surrounding context and the proposed buildings and its activities
• The image does not want to show the buildings as an aerial view, ‘letting agent style’ showing how big the industrial units are, but if it shows an aerial view it can focus on the grouping of the buildings, the places created between them, the activities in each of the spaces, their relationships and the relationship of the inside and outside spaces.
• Lots of places to sit and ‘talk, don’t walk’ in many different size groups and different context.
• No ‘cotton wool’ because the mild irritations need to be confronted to help prepare to cope with life’s challenges.

• To show the viewer and potential participants/funder the breadth of offering to see that the project has great potential is worthwhile for investing their own CSR time, effort and money into.
• The text can include bullet points about the things that the Construction Industry is not good at and that the Apprentices could bring to their future employers:

• Site Waste Management Plans workshops
• Site layout for waste separation, materials storage, lorry access
• Waste identification, coding and completion
  • Waste Transfer Notes, Packaging Return Note & Hazardous Waste Notes
  • Waste Champion’s role
  • Waste Tool box talks and dissemination activity

• Waste Hierarchy
• Waste types from inert to hazardous and segregation regimes
• Construction, Alteration and Demolition soft strip and waste
• Excavation and landscape arisings and reuse
• WEEE waste and its infrastructure
• Packaging waste
• Waste minimisation activity
• Waste segregation & management methods

PRACTICAL

• Waste equipment:
  • bin, 2 and 4 wheel buckets, sack and skip types, lids locks and apertures,
  • Vehicle types: Roll On R Off, Front End Loader, Rear E L, Skip Lugger, Compactors,
  • Static compactors, materials bulk reducers, balers,
  • sack holders, cutters, conveyors, chutes, etc.
  • Waste container separation colour coding and labelling
  • Waste monitoring methods, checklist records and software

• Engaging with resource efficiency agencies
• Development of supply and demand chain partners for materials and recyclate resale
• Web surfing for materials exchange, construction reclaim, architectural salvage, sites & businesses
• Skills passport
• Job opportunities, activities, roles and responsibilities
• Interview techniques and practice

Brian Murphy BSc Dip Arch (Dist+Hons)
Saturday, 08 October 2011

Apprentice Centre Warrington Project
Example Of Waste Management Approaches:

SITE ORGANISATION: LEAN AND SAFE:

ADOPT THE ‘PROJECT NO WASTE’ INITIATIVE:

• Plot process map – highlight potential problems
• Establish objectives
• Outline expectations to subcontractors, deal with disagreements, assess the SWOT of the relationships
• Set Targets (SMART – specific/measurable/achievable/realistic/timed) and agree rewards
• Carry out activities –
  • start with site organisation (5S/5C/CAN DO), then apply general improvement techniques,
  • e.g. theory of constraint/lean operations/six sigma quality
  • Spot problems / rank problems / solve problems / implement solution / communicate solution
  • Shared previous agreed rewards

Facilitate site teams to improve their organisation and housekeeping

Tie in with Health and Safety programmes

Link to Qualifications and skills development,

REDUCE WASTE BY BETTER SITE ORGANISATION

• Reducing Waste – Reducing Mess
• Reducing Mess –  Reducing Hazards
• Reducing Hazards – Improving Health and Safety

Process mapping (at all levels) to assess value adding steps and waste bottlenecks in construction process

REWARDS: can include:

• acknowledgement,
• encouragement,
• opportunities to learn,
• bonus payments,
• specific Corporate Social Responsibility actions

TOOLS:

• SWOT of relationships: regular maintenance of relationships by reviewing:
• Strength (and hence the Opportunities)
• Weaknesses (and hence the Threats) of the relations respectively

SITE ORGANISATION 5S (5C and CAN DO use different acronyms for same actions)

• Sort – Sort out activities that cause wastes (how things are stored, working methods)
• Set – Set construction site in order and simplify systems
• Shine – Clean up and keep workplace clean and clear
• Standardise – Update working practices and keep them simple
• Sustain – make waste management part of continuous improvement.

THEORY OF CONSTRAINTS: 5 STEPS

• identify problem
• local improvement
• impact on surrounding processes
• broader-based improvements
• move onto next problem

LEAN THINKING: 4 STAGES:

• long term vision
• improve processes and procedures
• engage and respect people
• continuous improvement

SIX SIGMA: systematic reduction of variations- process mapping, 5 step process (DMAIC) to address problem:

• Define problem
• Measure impacts
• Analyse problem
• Implement solution
• Control process to maintain high quality.

© GBE GBC GBL NGS ASWS Brian Murphy aka BrianSpecMan **
8th October 2011 – 17th January 2021

Apprentice Centre Warrington Project
See Also:

GBE Brief

• Apprentice Centre Project (Brief) G#1033 N#1051

GBE Projects

• Apprentice Centre Warrington (Project) G#1008 N#1028 (this page)

GBE CPD

GBE Images

• Apprentice Centre Training (Images) G#1042 N#1059
• Apprentice Centre Project Images PDF
• ApprenticeCentreImages9HPart1
• ApprenticeCentreImages9HPart2
• ApprenticeCentreImages9H
• Apprentice Centre Project Images 4H PDF

GBE Jargon Buster

• NEET
• WEEE
• Skills
• Segregation
• Recycling
• Resource Efficiency
• Recovery
• Waste

© GBE GBC GBL NGS ASWS Brian Murphy aka BrianSpecMan **
8th October 2011 – 17th January 2021

Apprentice Centre Warrington (Project) G#1008 N#1028 End.