London Mayor Boris Johnson recently witnessed King Cross Central’s National Skills Academy for Construction seal of approval. The award commended the scheme as a centre of excellence for construction skills and training.

The construction of the 745,000 sq. metre development is expected to generate 26,000 jobs over the next 15 years. Contractors and developers on the mega-scheme signed a construction employment charter on July 1st, agreeing to targets on the provision of jobs and training on the site.

The charter also aims to ensure that local communities benefit from job opportunities created during construction. Contractors have agreed to use local companies as suppliers where they can. The four main site contractors include BAM Construction, BAM Nuttall, Carillion and Kier, and developer King's Cross Central – all of whom will sign the charter.

The National Skills Academy for Construction, which has approved the skills centre, is a partnership between ConstructionSkills, employers, clients, colleges and funding providers, to deliver project-specific training on site.

Mayor Johnson said: “The construction sector is not only vital to helping London through the current downturn; it will also play a major role in its future economic prosperity, delivering the critical infrastructure improvements that will ensure the capital remains competitive.”

He added: “The outlook for London is very good, but we must maximise the benefits that come with these major development projects. I applaud these contractors who are working together to set new standards in the delivery of skills and training.”

Roger Madelin, joint chief executive of developer's Argent, said: "The success of King's Cross Central relies on the quality of men and women working on site - those laying the foundations, operating the cranes and restoring architectural gems, and this award recognises our commitment to training excellence."

Securing National Skills Academy for Construction status offers King's Cross Central increased leverage to work with sector skills council, ConstructionSkills, to develop training that meets its needs as an employer. It has also been awarded funding to pay for a skills co-ordinator to oversee skills training for the next three years.