Abdessamed is a Southwark resident working on the Canada Water development with our contractor, Keltbray. Originally from Algeria, he has now lived in England for five years. He moved here to improve his English and to progress his employment opportunities. He loves living in Surrey Quays and spending as much time as possible in Southwark Park. 

When lockdown hit Abdessamed lost his job. He came across the Southwark Construction Skills Centre, which promised training as well as job opportunities in construction. Working with the Skills Centre, he obtained his CSCS card and was able to be put forward for opportunities.

Abdessamed knew a lot about the construction industry as he was a safety supervisor in Algeria. He speaks four languages (Berber, Arabic, French and English). When you combine this with the qualification he obtained from the Skills Centre, he had an advantage when applying for a customer facing role and was given the job of traffic marshal with Keltbray.

Abdessamed said he hopes he can get to stay with Keltbray because, as he stated, ‘just looking at PPE you can tell they invest in their employees’. He can also see the site from his window! He has now been on site working for 26 weeks and the team and Keltbray are exploring development opportunities for him.

To find out more about Southwark Construction Skill Centre please visit southwarkconstructionskillscentre.com. To learn more about Keltbray and they work they do visit keltbray.com. To find out more about jobs and training opportunities as part of the Canada Water development visit: https://www.canadawatermasterplan.com/jobs-and-training