Decent buildings better lives

SOL West Midlands Maintenance Division has become an integral part of West Midlands communities due to the refurbishment and repair work the company is doing in the region's homes and schools.

SOL West Midlands Maintenance Division has become an integral part of West Midlands communities due to the refurbishment and repair work the company is doing in the region's homes and schools.

In May 2004 the Government announced an investment package of up to 3 billion pounds of public and private money into a nationwide project called the Decent Homes Directive (2004).

The initiative established the definition of a 'decent home' and set the target to upgrade all council and housing association residences to match this by 2010.

According to the Directive, a decent home is "a home that is warm, weatherproof and has reasonably modern facilities"; in 1997 there were 2.1 million houses in the UK owned by local authorities and housing associations that did not meet this standard.

In the West Midlands, between 1997 and 2001, the number of non-compliant social homes was reduced by about 62,000 and by 2004 it has been estimated that there had been a further reduction of 25,000 in Local Authority owned homes.

SOL West Midlands Maintenance Division and Special Projects Division have become very much a part of the drive forward for regeneration projects in the West Midlands; Warwick District Council has appointed them to carry out a programme of internal refurbishments on it's housing stock.

It is the personable approach favoured by SOL West Midlands' Divisional Directors David Amor and Andrew Roberts that sets them apart from other companies within the construction industry.

They are firm believers that people do business with people, hence the most important feature of the work they do is the human face that greets the tenants whose homes they are improving.

David Amor commented, "The work we do is integral to the continued development of communities, especially those that may be within deprived or neglected areas".

"Every project that is completed provides residents with a quality of living previously unavailable, encouraging pride in the home as well as in the community as a whole".

SOL takes a very individual approach to each refurbishment, viewing each residence as a project in its own right.

Every resident is given the opportunity to have a kitchen and/or bathroom replacement is given a choice of furnishings and colours, regardless of what is to be replaced within their home.

Work is planned with a view to minimising the inconvenience to family life, and communication between all parties is ensured via a team of Resident Liaisons, some of whom have had their own homes updated courtesy of their local Council and SOL.

A Resident's Guide is provided to every household so that the process and timescale for construction work is understood prior to being started.

The guide also includes an introduction to the SOL personnel responsible for the project and reassurance to the tenants that any individual working on the project will carry valid identification for them to check before allowing a stranger into their home.

The company has not only won significant contracts in housing refurbishment but also with Housing Associations and Local Authorities to carry out planned maintenance such as disabled adaptions, void property repairs and refurbishments to school buildings.

SOL also works with schools by taking on numerous young people for work experience placements with a view to them applying for apprenticeships when they reach sixteen.

At the start of the year SOL welcomed a team of five young men to begin multi-trade apprenticeships, Divisional Director for special projects Andrew Roberts commented, "SOL West Midlands is committed to the ongoing and essential need to encourage recruitment and training within the construction industry".

"In addition to the existing apprentices this years intake not only addresses the traditional trades of the industry but also encompasses the 'multi-trade' role".

The last word should most certainly be left to Dave Simpson, he has recently been awarded with the ReMIT (Training for the Retail Motor Industry) Apprentice of the Year Award for Coventry and Warwick.

He has worked for SOL West Midlands for three years completing an apprenticeship to become a qualified mechanic.

Commenting on his achievement Dave said, "I think apprenticeships are a far better way of learning than being full time at college.

I enjoy the real experience and practical side of work".

"I'd like to thank SOL West Midlands for their support.".

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