Opening doors to construction careers

How Gateway Qualifications is supporting learners back into work

As the UK ramps up its investment in construction skills and training, colleges and training providers are playing a critical role in delivering meaningful pathways to employment for adults and NEET learners.

Gateway Qualifications’ Entry Level 3 and Level 1 awards in Building and Construction are at the heart of this effort, offering accessible and relevant training designed with both learner needs and employer expectations in mind.

Two providers, Coleg Cambria in Wales and Runway Training in Croydon, have each developed effective delivery models tailored to their local context. While their approaches differ, both institutions report positive results in learner engagement, progression and employability.

Without this qualification, we wouldn't have got some of the learners and success stories through to Level 2. It's that simple.

David Garratt, Curriculum Director of Foundation Learning and Jobs Growth, Coleg Cambria

Reaching learners who need it most
At Coleg Cambria, the construction provision has evolved rapidly over the past four years. Initially launched to address a lack of entry-level qualifications among school leavers and adults looking to retrain, the programme now supports 60 to 70 learners per year at Entry Level, with parallel provision at Level 1.

David Garratt, Curriculum Director of Foundation Learning and Jobs Growth, explains how the college uses Gateway Qualifications’ E3 and Level 1 Awards to build progression routes for learners who might otherwise be left behind. “Historically, you’d have needed a qualification to get onto a course here. But we were seeing learners interested in trades who simply didn’t have any formal attainment.”

The entry programme at Coleg Cambria is now a fully developed offer, combining six practical trades with embedded maths, English and employability. “It’s not just a taster,” Garratt says. “It’s a supported introduction to the trades and to the skills needed to thrive in them.”

He continues: “Learners complete real workshop activities and then produce theory work in line with Gateway Qualifications unit criteria. Often, they take their own photos and annotate their work. There’s a real sense of ownership and pride.”

Cambria’s Entry Level programme has doubled in size over four years. It now supports four full groups at one campus and three at another.

Learners complete real workshop activities and then produce theory work in line with Gateway Qualifications unit criteria. Often, they take their own photos and annotate their work. There’s a real sense of ownership and pride.

David Garratt, Curriculum Director of Foundation Learning and Jobs Growth, Coleg Cambria

Bridging the qualification gap
Recent changes to apprenticeship frameworks in Wales have made it harder for learners without GCSEs to progress into construction roles. Garratt notes that learners now need four GCSEs at grade D, including maths and English, to access Level 2 courses. “Many learners don’t have that. There’s a huge gap.”

It was this shift that prompted Coleg Cambria to adopt Gateway Qualifications. “The Level 1 diploma previously offered by another awarding organisation was 90 percent practical. It just wasn’t fit for purpose. Gateway Qualifications gave us the flexibility to introduce theory, assessment, and the kind of learning structure that helps students move smoothly into Level 2.”

The results speak for themselves. Most learners completing the E3 or Level 1 provision go on to the next stage, with a robust support process in place. Nicola Gaughran, Assistant Principal of Foundation Learning, adds: “We start our progression planning in January. We track attendance, needs and readiness. Most of them do go on.”

These students might not be natural learners. We have to prepare them for learning itself, and Gateway Qualification’s model lets us do that.

Nicola Gaughran, Assistant Principal of Foundation Learning, Coleg Cambria

A route into work, fast
While Coleg Cambria focuses on progression within education, Runway Training in London has taken a different approach. Their aim is to fast-track learners into employment via the CSCS route.

Working in partnership with the Greater London Authority and local Job Centres, Runway delivers short Gateway Qualifications Level 1 courses that lead directly to the CSCS test and card, which is required for most on-site roles.

Zoe Henley, Quality Manager at Runway Training, says the model has been a huge success. “We run a course a week across our two sites. There are usually about twelve learners on each one. Since we started, hundreds have completed it, and 100 percent of them say it’s relevant to their career goals.”

The diversity of learners is notable. “We’ve had a real range. Lots of ESOL learners, people returning to work and a few women, too,” Henley says. “One woman told us the course completely changed her confidence. She’s now waiting to take her test and hopefully start work.”

Since August 2024, 231 learners have passed Runway Training’s Level 1 Award in Building and Construction. 100 percent agreed the course was relevant and helped them develop the skills needed to succeed.

It’s not just about teaching skills. It’s about creating a way back into work and into life for people who’ve often been left out of both.

Zoe Henley, Runway Training

Lessons for other providers
Both Coleg Cambria and Runway Training attribute their success to the accessibility and adaptability of Gateway Qualifications.

Runway’s Zoe Henley notes that the switch from Certificate to Award-based delivery made courses easier to deliver and more flexible. Garratt praises Gateway Qualifications for bridging the theory gap and allowing for a learner-centred assessment model.

Coleg Cambria’s Nicola Gaughran adds that Gateway Qualifications has also supported their delivery teams. “Whenever we’ve had questions or quality queries, they’ve been brilliant. Our EQA even came in to understand how we’re doing things.”

And while growth may eventually meet capacity limits, the model is clearly scalable. “We’ve doubled our numbers over four years,” Coleg Cambria’s David Garratt says. “It’s been driven by need – and it works.”

With the government investing heavily in construction skills and training, the work being done by Coleg Cambria and Runway Training offers a compelling blueprint for other providers.

Their tailored, learner-focused approaches, supported by Gateway Qualifications, demonstrate what’s possible when education meets opportunity with flexibility, practicality and care.