Elevate East Lancashire is one of the government’s nine housing market renewal pathfinders, charged with finding innovative solutions to the problem of low demand, negative equity, and housing market collapse in towns across East Lancashire. The project will last for 10 to 15 years and with funding of £100 million for 2004-2006, our local authority partners (Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Rossendale and Lancashire County Council) are working with us to deliver an ambitious programme to revitalise failing neighbourhoods.

Elevate, through its Constructing the Future skills project, will ensure that the opportunities created by the construction spend activities directly benefit the communities of East Lancashire. This will be by increasing jobs and skills locally and engaging local businesses within the supply chain for Elevate’s capital projects.

As part of the project a jobs brokerage agency is being developed. This is to be called The Construction Agency.

The Construction Agency is a brokerage service that helps to provide skilled labour equipped with site-ready skills to support Elevate projects within East Lancashire.

It's aims are:

• to increase the supply of apprentices and qualified / skilled people to work in the East Lancashire construction industry and the Elevate supply chain
• to promote economic inclusion within the construction industry
• to include increased local employment on projects within the Elevate region

Please contact Jeff Smithson by any of the following methods:

• The Construction Agency
  Elevate East Lancashire
  Suite 22 The Globe Centre
  St. James Square
  Accrington
  Lancashire
  BB5 0RE
• t: 01254 304550
• f: 01254 304551
• e: jeff.smithson@elevate-eastlancs.co.uk