LIGHTHOUSE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY CHARITY OFFERS FREE WELLBEING TRAINING

As a direct result of the wellbeing issues presented to its 24/7 Construction Industry Helpline, the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity has announced that it is delivering €22,133 (£20,000) of free mental health and wellbeing training to the industry for the remainder of 2020.

One of the key findings of the charity’s recently published 2019 Impact Report was that 62% of emergency financial grants were to pay for daily living costs, paying bills and clearing rent arrears and debt. Financial wellbeing is one of the key factors affecting mental health and the introduction of ‘bang on budget’ financial management sessions, aim to directly address these issues.
The fallout of Covid-19 has also seen an increasing number of redundancies across the industry and the charity has augmented its wellbeing programme to include two sessions aimed at improving employability with ‘At the Interview’ and a ‘CV Workshop’.

Bill Hill, CEO of the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity, said: ”A crucial element of our strategy is to pro-actively support the industry’s mental wellbeing and ensure the widespread availability of construction focussed training programmes. These range from hour long interactive wellbeing sessions through to the full two day MHFA England approved Mental Health First Aider course. This will ensure that companies have easy access to a robust wellbeing strategy to support every level of their organisation from the boots on the ground workforce through to senior management. We are a CITB approved training organisation (ATO) which means that our courses are delivered to a defined and industry-agreed training standard and most are CPD accredited ensuring they contribute to personal career and professional development.”

The charity is also offering it’s Company Supporters priority access to the MHFA England half day Mental Health Awareness course and two day Mental Health First Aider courses.
Bill Hill added: “Offering these courses free of charge removes the final barrier for many smaller construction organisations to access these valuable and much needed training courses. Our focus is to continually develop and expand our pro-active wellbeing education and training programme, alongside the immediate reactive support provided by our 24/7 Construction Industry Helpline and accompanying app. Thanks to the generosity of our industry’s support, we can make our charitable services accessible to everyone so that we can achieve our mission in ensuring that no worker or their family are alone in a crisis.”

FREE WELLBEING TRAINING

• Work, life balance – what is good ‘work life balance’ and how to achieve it.
• Coping with stress – causes and coping mechanisms.
• Mindfulness – what is mindfulness and how can you implement it
• Resilience – building resilience and keeping it growing.
• Meditation – an introduction to meditation from a construction professional
• Bang on Budget – looking after your finances, budgeting and debt management
• CV Workshop – Showcasing your attributes and getting an interview
• At the Interview – Tips and skills to shine on the day
Go to www.lighthouseclub.org for more information on the mental health awareness courses.

Benefits of Mental Health and Wellbeing Training

• Build employees’ confidence to have open conversations and break the stigma
• Encourage people to access support early, for a faster recovery
• Empower those with a long term mental health issue or disability to thrive in work
• Promote a mentally healthy environment, stopping preventable issues and allowing people to thrive and become more productive
• Embed a long term positive culture across the whole organisation, so that employees recognise their mental and physical health are supported as equal parts of the whole person

The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity is the only charity that provides financial physical and mental wellbeing support to the construction workforce and their families across the UK and Ireland. The charity provides a 24/7 Construction Industry Helpline which is the first point of contact to access a range of completely free and confidential support services including emergency financial aid, advice on welfare and mental wellbeing, and support on legal, tax and debt management matters. Their complementary helpline app is free to download.

As one of the founder members of the industry’s Building Mental Health Programme, the charity has also developed an online portal of information and resources to help companies start and develop the process of building a positive mental health culture in their organisation. From downloadable tool box talks, through to advice on how to access mental health training, all the information is free of charge and can be tailored to individual needs.

www.lighthouseclub.org
www.constructionindustryhelpline.com
www.buildingmentalhealth.net