A new partnership between Redrow and Nottingham Trent University will put students in the front row for industry placements and future employment.
It will also create opportunities for special lectures, site visits and financial support.
In a three-year deal with the university’s School of Architecture, Design and Built Environment, we have committed to a range of opportunities including:
· Special bursaries to support disadvantaged students taking on unpaid work experience and to help with cost of the job interview process.
· Site visits and access to materials and resources
· Provision of guest lecturers and inspirational speakers on subjects including construction, master planning and health & safety.
· The chance for students to gain first-hand exposure and valuable experience on live projects.
· In-curriculum projects within the university’s BSc (Hons) construction management degree, including access to our materials and real-world challenges.
· Two graduate internships with the homebuilder guaranteed per annum.
· Priority access to our graduate vacancies and industrial sandwich placement opportunities for third year students.
· Various Redrow-sponsored awards to be presented during the annual award ceremonies
Announcing the partnership, our director of human resources Karen Jones said: “Both Redrow and Nottingham Trent university share a culture of excellence coupled with a strong commitment to supporting social mobility, so finalising this agreement has been a real pleasure.
“Our group chief executive Matthew Pratt studied at Nottingham Trent University, so the partnership also cements a long-standing relationship. It will bring very real and long-lasting benefits to students, enriching their education and providing excellent opportunities for social and economic progression within their early careers.”
We have been creating high quality homes and thriving communities across England and Wales for almost 50 years and we are particularly proud of our reputation for inspiring the next generation to build. Around 15% of our current workforce are trainees, including those on various graduate training programmes, undergraduate placements, apprenticeships and other vocational training courses.
Adding Nottingham Trent University to our list of illustrious academic partners is a natural progression for us. With 3,000 students within the School of Architecture, Design and Built Environment, the Nottingham-based university has a worldwide reputation for excellence and is a provider of industry-accredited learning. Research shows that 90% of NTU architecture, building and planning graduates who enter employment are in a high-skilled role within 15 months of completing their studies.
Indeed, quite a few of those former students are already employed by us, including George Brown, a technical coordinator in London. George completed a degree in construction management at NTU, including a sandwich year spent in our technical department. He joined us after graduating in July 2021 and is still with us three years on.
“I’ve been very lucky to experience both of these organisations. Nottingham Trent is a great university, it offers practical courses which suited my skills, we were supported from start to finish and we had the opportunity to get vast amounts of industry experience alongside our studies.
“The placement year with Redrow London gave me valuable real-world experience, which assisted me in completing my degree and a wealth of contacts, which ended up helping me complete my dissertation. Now in my full-time Redrow role I work on a wide range of different projects, have seen all aspects of construction and am still learning new things every day.
“I’m really excited to hear about the new partnership. It will give NTU students a head-start in a very tough and competitive environment.”
Another Nottingham Trent construction management graduate is Obi Ebizie, now an assistant site manager within our Lancashire division after successfully completing our graduate training programme in 2021.
Obi welcomed the news, saying: “This partnership will be great for both sides. The support from Redrow for all of its employees, graduates and placements is unmatched, so students will be exposed to a wide range of skills, knowledge, experience and support. At the same time, the university’s reputation for quality teaching and a technical bias means that Redrow will get first pick of some exceptional talent.”
Andrew Knight, Executive Dean of Architecture and the Built Environment at Nottingham Trent University, said: “Working with industry is critical to the health of our courses and the graduate opportunities available. I’m delighted that Redrow will be partnering with us to create a talent pipeline for its forward-thinking organisation.”
Nottingham Trent University was the first higher education establishment to sign the social mobility pledge and has recently been awarded winner of ‘Outstanding Support for Students’ at the Times Higher Education Awards.
The new partnership between us and Nottingham Trent University will commence at the start of the 2022/23 academic year.
