EMCOR Facilities Services Provides a Brighter Future for Kenya's Youth
Thousands of young people in Nairobi have been given the chance to lift themselves out of poverty thanks to a team of EMCOR Facilities Services employees and one of its key clients, British Airways (BA).
The project team, led by BA in partnership with EMCOR, Microsoft and hair product manufacturer, The Colomer Group, transformed two rooms at St Bakhita School in the urban community of Mukuru on the outskirts of Nairobi into a custom-built computer suite and hairdressing training salon.
The St Bakhita skills centre is crucial for the local population, where unemployment is high and opportunities scarce. The new facilities, which were officially opened on 23rd June 2006, will be used by thousands of young people to gain vocational skills/qualifications to boost their chances of obtaining jobs and lift themselves out of poverty.
The team, which included EMCOR plumbers, electricians and carpenters, with support from the local Kenyan project team, were in Nairobi for just a few days and in that time created the rooms entirely from scratch.
For many of the team it was their first visit to Africa and a school in the middle of Mukuru was a far cry from what they are used to at British Airways' offices at Heathrow and Gatwick.
EMCOR's Gary Brown was part of the plumbing team tasked with installing a new hot water system and sinks for the hairdressing salon. Gary said: "The main challenge for us was working with iron piping instead of copper and plastic which we are used to in the UK. Fortunately we had the assistance of a local plumber who helped us source some of the more unusual fittings."
Commenting on the team's contribution, BA's Sue Byrne, who managed the project said, "It was a real team effort. The amount of work that went into this project was amazing given that the rooms were completely empty when we started. We had to source materials from all over and got to know the plumbing merchants, electrical shops and woodworking industrial areas of Nairobi very well.
"We worked non stop to get this project finished. Every person in the team deserves recognition for a fantastic effort."
Andrew Brown, EMCOR Facilities Services General Manager also praised the team's efforts: "The work this team did is truly inspirational and really highlights the way we can use our skills to help others. They worked long hours in challenging conditions. EMCOR is very proud of the team and we hope to remain involved with this ongoing community programme in the future."
Now that the rooms are completed, the teachers at the school will receive training from Microsoft on how to ensure their students get the very best from the new facility, and The Colomer Group will start to take the student hairdressers through their paces.
Notes to Editors
About EMCOR Facilities Services Ltd
EMCOR Facilities Services is one of the UK market leaders in the provision of facilities management, integrated service solutions and technical support across a broad range of public and private sector clients.
EMCOR Group (UK) plc
Headquartered in London, EMCOR Group (UK) plc (EMCOR) is a wholly owned subsidiary of EMCOR Group, Inc. (NYSE:EME) a Fortune 500® company with over $4.7 billion in annual revenues and a global leader in mechanical and electrical construction, energy infrastructure and facilities services. An independent specialist contractor, established over a century ago, EMCOR gives life to new structures and sustains life in existing ones by its planning, designing, installing, operating and maintaining the sophisticated and dynamic systems that create facility environments - such as electrical, mechanical, lighting, air conditioning, heating, ventilation, telecommunications, security, power generation systems and public health - in virtually every sector of the economy and for a diverse range of businesses throughout the UK.
EMCOR Group's 'Build it. Power it. Service it.' slogan reflects its rare combination of end-to-end capabilities, and global reach with local execution, combining the strength of an industry leader with the knowledge and care of over 26,000 skilled employees at 70 local operating companies in 140 locations worldwide.
