Back in 2001 it was recognised by a group of local agencies involved in the Construction Industry in the West Midlands, that the scale of planned developments over the coming decade in the Birmingham and Solihull sub-region would lead to a massive increase in the number of people working in the sector. It was recognised immediately that to support this kind of development the number of people in the local area who were skilled or semi-skilled construction workers would need to be increased and local businesses would need support in terms of both their recruitment and training needs. From this the Construction Employment Alliance (CEA) was born.

The key agencies involved in the project include Solihull MBC, Construction Industry Training Board, Job Centre Plus, Birmingham City Council and the local Learning and Skills Council.

Q1tum were approached by the CEA and asked to develop a number of hands on vocational training programmes designed to assist and enhance student's employment prospects.

The CEA offers local businesses engaged in the Construction sector a fee free source if site-aware and reliable people who are keen to work for your company and can provide a wage subsidy per employee of up to £6,000.

Depending on a trainee's circumstances the CEA may be able to offer significant help to meet the financial costs of training for a job in the construction industry.