Undergraduates Natasha Holt, 23, and Jasmine Parker, 18, have started their three-year sponsored Construction Management degree programme at the Chorley headquarters of our Lancashire division.
The course was launched in 2017 by us in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and Coleg Cambria and aims to teach participants the skills needed to work in a range of departments within our business.
The first of its kind dedicated degree course is available for school leavers with a strong set of A-Level or BTEC Level 3 results and a desire to start a career in the industry, or for those with construction background looking for further qualifications.
Aspiring site manager, Natasha, from Oswaldtwistle, had worked in construction for six years prior to starting her degree and the opportunity of future progression within Redrow was one of the reasons why she applied. She has already spent time with our customer service and sales departments.
“I knew I wanted to work my way up to being a site manager and thought the degree would give me so much wider knowledge of the business,” said Natasha.
“It’s going to be really interesting to see how the other side of the company works away from the sites. The mix of spending time at university and being immersed in Redrow’s day to day working is so beneficial. I’m learning every day, especially with the rotation through different departments.”
Southport-born Jasmine has always had an interest in property and applied for the degree because she felt it gave her good grounding in many areas within the industry.
“The idea of merging a career with something that I had a keen interest in was always something I’d dreamt of,” said Jasmine.
“Going down this route will provide me with so much opportunity and I’m excited to see which path I’ll eventually take.
“Having the ability to learn on the job while studying for my degree is also a massive plus. Everyone I’m surrounded by has so much knowledge that they can pass onto me too.”
Natasha and Jasmine will also be supported by three mentors: trainee area sales manager Amy Bates, planner Sally Riley and technical administrator, Natalie Hendry.
Amy wanted to become a mentor to further develop her management skills.
She said: “Our role as mentors involves checking in with Natasha and Jasmine on their placements and being their direct line manager. We will also be organising their rotation through different departments. I will be checking in via Zoom and phone calls and seeing them when I can.”
The new degree course will see Natasha and Jasmine study six modules each year covering different areas of housebuilding, including quality, project management, health and safety, business skills and negotiations, through to aspects of law, mathematics and economics.
They will be assessed via a combination of examination, coursework and a final year dissertation project; together with site visits, virtual learning and tutorials, while carrying on with their day-to-day roles.
Natasha and Jasmine will benefit from learning the role each individual and department plays within the business and at the end choose the discipline and department they feel suits them best and have an opportunity to develop this.
It’s further evidence of how we value our people and demonstrates the commitment which, in 2016, helped us become the first housebuilder to achieve the Quality Mark from the British Institute of Learning and Development. We have also been a Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer for five consecutive years.
To find out more about our housebuilding degree visit: www.redrowcareers.co.uk/redrowhousebuildingdegree
