Liverpool-based manufacturer, Ideal Modular Homes, is pleased to announce it has joined the government’s Northern Powerhouse Partner (NPH) programme, reinforcing the company’s commitment to northern investment.
The NPH is the government’s vision to boost the impact and contribution of the North to the UK economy. The NPH’s partner programme is an essential part of the northern powerhouse agenda, bringing together and connecting innovative businesses who all believe in the strong economic potential of the north. The appointment is recognition of the contribution the business has made to the scheme.
Delivering the future of housing, Ideal has developed the UK’s most advanced and innovative modular home manufacturing facilities. Creating eco-friendly, accessible homes with unrivalled quality and desirability in a matter of days, all while making homes more cost-efficient than conventional construction methods.
Since inception, building on the region’s strength has been at the forefront of Ideals’ ethos. Job creation, training and apprenticeships, business and charity partnerships, affordable housing projects and community building are all ways in which Ideal actively plays a role in strengthening the northern economy and emboldening the north’s impact through community collaboration.
The coming year will see Ideal investing in a new generation of workers with its Learning to Work programme. An apprenticeship scheme designed to provide training and qualifications for young people struggling with employment, while also helping build the north’s off-site construction industry. The company is also working with students at the University of Liverpool applying a hands-on learning experience for students wanting to work in the industry. An advanced production process allows for around 30% of the workforce to be apprentices who can develop their skills on-the-job with training provided by industry experts.
With the potential to improve people’s living standards, Ideal’s modular homes are not only less expensive to buy and build, they are also much cheaper to run. Specialist materials and technology means that there are substantial cost savings on heating and energy usage.
Ideal’s OURhome initiative, created in collaboration with shedkm, is aimed at housing associations, local authorities and councils to deliver the affordable, sustainable homes that the region so desperately needs. A second northern-based factory, increasing job prospects in northern regions and ultimately improving local economies, will be opening in late 2020 taking the company’s total output to 2000 homes per year. Working with charitable organisations including Alder Hey Children’s Charity and Mersey Forest further solidifies Ideal’s commitment to the north.
Luke Barnes, CEO of Ideal Modular Homes, is delighted to be a part of the programme and said:
“We are committed to growing our business in partnership with the Northern Powerhouse initiative. Sharing an ambition to invest in the supply and quality of the North’s housing offer, while also supporting other members to create great places to live, we want the North to become a magnet for new business and talented people. This exciting new collaboration will help us to ensure housing plays an important role in the Northern Powerhouse agenda and help improve the lives, living standards, power and voice of the north and its residents.”