Initiative includes contractors Laing O鈥橰ourke, Morgan Sindall and Multiplex
The Construction Industry Training Board has committed 拢500,000 to train mental health first aid instructors to improve the wellbeing of UK construction workers.
The funding has been awarded to 黑洞社区 Mental Health 鈥� an industry initiative including Lendlease, Mace, Multiplex, Morgan Sindall and Laing O鈥橰ourke 鈥� via the CITB鈥檚 Flexible Fund.
The project鈥檚 objective is to have 156 construction Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) instructors fully-trained and operating by September 2019, with a minimum of 2,500 on-site mental health first aiders to be trained by 2020.
Geeta Nathan, the CITB鈥檚 head of economic analysis, said: 鈥淭he mental health and wellbeing of construction workers is one of the biggest issues our industry is currently facing. In 2016/17, the sector lost 400,000 working days due to stress, anxiety or depression 鈥� the equivalent of losing 1,600 full time workers each year.
鈥淕iven the stigma this subject faces, it鈥檚 so important that we lead the way in shaping a culture change. 黑洞社区 Mental Health鈥檚 training initiative will see 156 construction workers becoming mental health first aid instructors, with those 156 instructors by the end of 2020 having trained a minimum of 2,500 mental health first aiders.鈥�
黑洞社区 Mental Health will work with MHFA England and use the funding to deliver 13 MHFA instructor courses for construction, with each course taking up to 12 candidates.
The first of the 13 courses began this month with the remaining 12 scheduled to take place over the next 18 months.
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