FIRST TRAINEE STARTS ON SITE AT ST. ANDREW’S PARK

St. Modwen Homes has welcomed its first trainees to St. Andrew’s Park in Uxbridge, Greater London, as part of the housebuilder’s bespoke trainee scheme. 

Aged 25, Aaron Conaty has joined the trainee scheme following nine years of working as a bricklayer. His aim is to develop his management skills and become a Site Manager at St. Modwen Homes within the next two years. Additionally, Jacqui Fraser, aged 26, has joined the sales team as a Trainee Sales Consultant.

Launched to help tackle the current shortage of people entering the housebuilding industry, the trainee scheme covers numerous specialisms including finance, site management, marketing, sales and construction. Attracting a diverse range of people – particularly younger people starting out in their career – into the industry has been a key focus for St. Modwen Homes over the past 12 months. As such, trainees now account for 12% of St. Modwen Homes’ workforce and the aim is to increase this to 15% by the end of 2018.

Aaron said: “I was working at St. Andrew’s Park as a contracted bricklayer when I got chatting with Dave Smith, the Managing Director of St. Modwen Homes. He encouraged me to go for their trainee scheme and now I’m just a few weeks away from starting my degree in Construction and the Built Environment. It’s rare to find a company that is willing to invest the time and money into developing people but St. Modwen Homes seems committed to helping people like me learn the skills needed to further their career within the industry.”

In addition to its trainee scheme, St. Modwen Homes is also partnering with local colleges to help promote the construction industry; providing work experience and leading lectures and seminars on key topics. Nearly 100 people have completed work experience at St. Modwen Homes’ sites in the past year. Additionally, St. Modwen Homes has launched an initiative to increase the number of apprentices working for contractors on its housing developments. This has led to a 10% increase in apprentices.

Dave Smith, Managing Director at St. Modwen Homes, said: “Housebuilding, and indeed construction in general, is predominantly an ageing industry with very low levels of diversity. There is a skills gap on a technical, professional and trade level and this is only going to get worse as retirement looms for a high proportion of the industry’s workforce.
“By launching initiatives such as our trainee scheme we’re hoping to attract more people into the industry and provide a supportive environment in which they can develop a successful career. Aaron has got off to a promising start at St. Andrew’s Park showing great initiative and enthusiasm and I’m excited to see him grow and become a Site Manager with St. Modwen Homes. Similarly, Jacqui is an extremely valued member of our sales team who has a very bright future ahead of her.”

St. Modwen Homes’ properties at St. Andrew’s Park form the latest phase of the 1,300-home new community at the former RAF Uxbridge site in Hillingdon. St. Modwen, together with its joint venture partner VINCI is leading the regeneration project.

The marketing suite is open between 10am and 5.30pm and is located at St. Andrew’s Park, Churchill Road, Uxbridge, West London UB10 URX. Anyone wishing to book an appointment or speak to a member of the sales team can do so by calling 0844 2434560. More information can be found at www.stmodwenhomes.co.uk or via social media on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.