Minister For London Jo Johnson Visits Battersea Power Station

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 8 (Bernama) – Minister for London Jo Johnson paid a visit to apprentices working at the Battersea Power Station site in Wandsworth, to mark the 1,000th person placed into work under its successful Work Match scheme. The power station site is owned by a consortium of Malaysian investors, and Sime Darby Property is partly the developer of the iconic Battersea Power Station project in central London. “This demonstrates that the United Kingdom is open for business as the country leaves the European Union,” said Sime Darby Property in a statement Thursday. Two new stations are being built, at Nine Elms and Battersea, with work targeted for completion in 2020. Johnson also visited the site of the new London Underground extension – where tunnelling works are now complete, ready to extend the Northern Line to Battersea, previously backed by government investment through a 1 billion British pound loan to the Greater London Authority. Johnson said: “It is exciting to see first-hand the work that is going on as part of the regeneration project at Battersea – this London landmark is being put to excellent use to ensure existing neighbourhoods flourish, while attracting a wealth of new businesses to the area. “I enjoyed meeting some of the people who have found work through Wandsworth’s scheme, and wish them continued success in the future. “This comes alongside the government’s drive to create three million quality apprenticeships – set to change the lives of young people and the prospects of businesses.” In total, 150 apprentices have worked in construction as part of the Battersea project – in jobs ranging from crane drivers to carpenters – with more than half coming from the local community. Wandsworth Council set up the Work Match scheme in 2013 to help get local residents into work, and struck up a partnership with Battersea Power Station Development Company to match local people to job vacancies. During the visit, the Minister also heard about the Battersea Academy of Skills Excellence (BASE), a jobs and training service created for people living locally, which was launched in 2016. It is focused on matching people with jobs at Battersea as well as providing training relevant to the work needed to make the development a reality. The British government is working to create three million quality apprenticeships that will change the lives of apprentices and the prospects of businesses. Sime Darby Property is Malaysia’s largest property developer in terms of land bank with 8,325.19 hectares of remaining developable land. -- BERNAMA