IN Brief:
- Local training is being delivered from Jaywick Sands’ Sunspot centre.
- Courses cover CSCS, solar PV installation, and eco-roofing skills.
- Partners have linked the pipeline to upcoming housing delivery in the area.
Latimer, the development arm of Clarion Housing Group, has partnered with Tendring District Council to run a green skills training hub at the Jaywick Sands Sunspot, with a focus on site-ready qualifications and hands-on learning aligned to low-carbon construction activity.
The programme has been structured around practical entry points into work, including support for residents to gain Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) cards and targeted training in solar PV installation and eco-friendly roofing. Tendring District Council said the hub is intended to create a local pipeline of workers for net-zero-related construction and retrofit activity, while also improving access to accredited training for residents who may be outside the labour market.
A recent cohort of 10 residents completed an eight-day course combining CSCS preparation with a practical introduction to solar PV installation. The training also introduced drone inspection techniques, reflecting growing use of aerial surveys for condition assessment, progress tracking, and roof-related works, where safe access and rapid measurement can be limiting factors on smaller sites.
Council updates indicate the project has been operating for around a year, with more than 30 local residents supported into employment during that period through training and linked opportunities. Additional courses are planned, including drone flying, first aid, and site security qualifications, alongside continued construction-focused provision.
Latimer has linked the training pipeline to its wider development activity in the district, including the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community, which local planning documentation sets out at around 7,500 homes delivered over a multi-year programme. Timetables for first housing delivery remain subject to planning and infrastructure sequencing, but published council material has previously pointed to early-stage build activity anticipated from 2027 if consents and enabling works align.
For contractors and specialist installers, the near-term value of localised training hubs tends to sit in predictability: a steadier supply of entrants with baseline site competencies and targeted exposure to trades where demand is rising. For clients and developers, it can also reduce mobilisation friction by widening the pool of local labour for packages such as rooftop PV, insulation-associated roof works, and associated electrical and compliance activity.
