Morgan Sindall Construction reveals details of Knowledge Quad at Paddington Village

News | 25 April 2019

Located in Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter, Paddington Village is a £1 billion flagship expansion site east of the city centre which, when complete, will incorporate new science, technology, education and health space. The site is being developed in three phases: Paddington Central, Paddington South and Paddington North, with Morgan Sindall Construction undertaking numerous projects as part of the first phase.

In order to maximise the benefits of these projects for the local area, Morgan Sindall Construction and the City Council have developed the Knowledge Quad. The facility was previewed to delegates at the MIPIM property conference in Cannes, and is focused on four pillars with corresponding aims that will drive the future growth of construction in the Liverpool City Region.

The pillars are:

Skills – to raise quality in the industry and prevent future skills gaps
Education – to make built environment students work-ready
Discovery – to demonstrate the wealth of opportunities represented by the Paddington Village construction process and beyond
Employment – to support the sustainable creation and retaining of jobs

Key to the Knowledge Quad’s programme will be the hosting of live construction activities that will allow participants to gain valuable onsite experience, as well as employment support sessions, including the delivery of Liverpool in Work’s Routeway programme.

In order to further capitalise on its offering, the Knowledge Quad has developed a programme that seeks to upskill workers in trades identified as important to the City Region. In the year ahead, the venue will host bi-monthly programmes on civil engineering, bricklaying, joinery, building envelope, painting and decorating and electrical. The civil engineering programme is currently underway, and a number of regular activities have begun which are designed to upskill and educate staff, members of the supply chain, students and lecturers in various topics relating to these key areas.

Other initiatives to be delivered at the facility include jobs fairs and pre-employment programmes, as well as regular lectures from educational partners. Liverpool John Moores University, City of Liverpool College and Blackburne House - one of the country’s leading education centres for women - have already begun hosting sessions at the Quad, with further opportunities being explored with other local organisations.

Morgan Sindall Construction is working with these academic bodies in order to develop curriculums that will provide students with a comprehensive level of insight into the built environment, and an opportunity to use the live Paddington Village project to support ‘real world’ study.

Barry Roberts, Morgan Sindall Construction’s managing director for the North West said: “Construction projects have played a key role in the regeneration of the Liverpool City Region, and the Knowledge Quad will be pivotal in ensuring that momentum is maintained in the decades ahead. CITB predicts that over the next five years the North West will create 5,470 new construction jobs every twelve months – we see it as our responsibility to do what we can to help train the future workforce so they are ready to fulfil those roles and counteract the ongoing problems associated with a skills shortage.
“Both Morgan Sindall Construction and Liverpool City Council are proud of creating a learning facility that will train the next generation of workers with the skills they need to develop rewarding careers. This will, in turn, support continued growth across Liverpool and beyond, and we look forward to further close collaboration as the Paddington Village project continues.”

Claire Dove OBE, chief executive, Blackburne House, said: “Blackburne House is delighted to be working in partnership with Morgan Sindall Construction. This partnership allows us to teach our construction students in a real-life environment, with support from industry professionals with key, contemporary skills and knowledge to pass onto our students. This is an exciting opportunity for our students who will undertake a full-site induction, health and safety briefing, and will take part in team building, communication and decision-making tasks, working directly alongside employees from Morgan Sindall Construction. This experience will support our students in finding future employment opportunities.”

The Knowledge Quad will also play host to events for the local community which will demonstrate the benefits and opportunities that Paddington Village will provide through its construction and beyond.

Morgan Sindall Construction’s projects at Paddington Village Central include the design and build of The Spine, the new £35 million northern headquarters of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), set for completion in 2020.

In addition to this, it was recently announced that Morgan Sindall Construction will build a new 160-bed hotel - and a 60-bedroom upscale aparthotel to the value of £35 million at Paddington Village. The four star hotel will be operated by Accor under the Novotel brand with the aparthotel operated by Legacy Hotels & Resorts.

For more information about this news release please contact Tom Carlin at Influential on 0161 804 1400 or email [email protected].