Sponsored by
Daventry is in a league of its own
DAVENTRY has been praised for placing itself at the forefront of creating employment, training and investment opportunities.
At a meeting of the West Northamptonshire Devel-opment Corporation's (WNDC) board at Staverton Park on Tuesday, deputy chairman John Weir congratulated the town for taking opportunities to position itself at the vanguard of the growing sustainable construction industry.
He said: "With the iCon, Construction Futures and people from the WNDC going into schools to talk about possible careers and activities in the housing industry, Daventry is quickly establishing itself as a centre for new construction innovation. It will help in the future with jobs, investment and training. It is remarkable that a small market town like Daventry can put itself at the forefront of this industry, and it has to be congratulations to Daventry for embracing these opportunities."
Chris Millar, leader of Daventry District Council (DDC) and WNDC board member, said: "DDC has a vision and a plan for Daventry, and that means our message is consistent – something that is very important in building confidence. When opportunities come along that fit with that plan then we will take them."
The main schemes leading to Daventry quickly over-taking more established and larger towns and cities are the iCon and Construction Futures.
The iCon project will see a new modern environmentally-friendly building built on Eastern Way fostering up to 60 new companies in the sustainable construction sphere and acting as a hub for the industry.
Harj Dhaliwal, who sits on the iCon board, said: "When the East Midlands Development Agency raised the issue of the sustainable construction centre we were looking at a number of locations in Northampton and the wider area. DDC already had a strong green agenda, so bringing in this building, which in itself will be an iconic structure showcasing sustainable construction, slotted in well."
Construction Futures is a project set up by the WNDC to give local young people experience in the building trade as part of the town's expansion.
Already Daventry and District Housing (DDH) and its contractor Connaught are taking on trainees under the scheme.
Frank Ellis, head of asset management at DDH, said: "We recognised the programme could deliver major benefits in boosting local skills and offering new training and development opportunities.
"In partnership with Connaught our work has so far resulted in the appointment of new apprentices to work in tenants' homes, a work experience scheme and new training programmes for our own teams.
"We have also been into local schools to hold construction challenge days and talks to help young people find out more about careers in construction."
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Daventry
Thursday 17 May 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 7 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 9 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
