AccXel appoints new Gloucestershire Steering Group as building gets under way
AccXel, the new Construction Skills Accelerator Centre which is now being built in Cinderford, Gloucestershire, has appointed a Steering Group to support the development of the pioneering project.
AccXel will be a 980m2 centre of excellence designed to inspire, train and connect people entering and advancing within the construction industry.
Working alongside AccXel’s Founder and Managing Director, Nicola Bird, the Steering Group includes Natalie Bell, Business Growth and Partnership Manager at AccXel; Peter White, Business Development Manager at University of Gloucestershire; Lindsey Young, Chief Operating Officer at Clarkson Evans; Ben Ramsay, Managing Director at Barnwood Construction; Rob Jenkins, Careers Hub Manager at GFirst LEP; and Andy Bates, Chief Financial Officer at Gloucestershire College.
The Steering Group will take responsibility for the development and overall function of the new centre, ensuring its financial stability and meeting strategic goals throughout the build, to the moment it opens to learners and beyond.
Nicola Bird said: “To help us in our mission, we’re proud to have brought together a great team of experienced people from some of the region’s most forward-thinking construction companies and education providers. I’m excited to be working with all of them to bring AccXel to life.”
Lindsey Young from Clarkson Evans added: “It’s an honour to be involved in steering a project that’s set to make such a positive difference to construction training, not just in Gloucestershire but possibly on a much broader scale. It’s certainly an ambitious venture and I know lots of businesses in the sector will be keen to benefit from the new training centre. For young people, the project has the capacity to open doors to very rewarding long-term careers.”
AccXel is co-funded by family construction firm K W Bell Group and backed by almost £2 million from the Government’s Getting Building Fund, awarded via Gloucestershire’s Local Enterprise Partnership, GFirst LEP. Aiming to welcome its first learners through its doors in January 2022, K W Bell Group is working in collaboration with Gloucestershire College and the University of Gloucestershire, and with support from local employers in England and Wales and industry representatives including global giant JCB.
