Development on our Centre for Excellence continues to be made, as the first cohort of fast track trainees complete their training.

Our unique Centre for Excellence, situated just north of Lusaka, has progressed significantly over the last couple of months. Ultimately the complex will act as both a training centre for young unemployed people and as a space for Build It to collaborate with other NGOs, statutory bodies and the private sector. It is and will continue to be vital in our ambition to deliver and promote construction skills training, small business development and sustainable building techniques in Zambia.

We are delighted that the very first cohort of fast track trainees to pass through the Centre for Excellence have completed their training! They are now undertaking their work experience on commercial construction projects with affiliate contractors. It is also great news that our second, and current, cohort is 26% women, higher than our 20% target. This is an immensely important trend as we continue to work to improve the situation facing women in construction in Zambia.

Construction on the complex continues in the meantime, and the building of the Centre for Excellence’s second learning plaza is just about to begin. To follow its progress, along with other Centre for Excellence updates, check out Deborah’s blog. Deborah is a BuroHappold engineer and our Centre for Excellence Project Manager.