Providing homes in a local area comes with responsibilities, or at least that is the belief of the partnership behind North Northamptonshire’s destination development, Priors Hall Park.
It is widely acknowledged that Priors Hall Park will over the next decade offer many homebuyers a spacious lifestyle set amongst rolling Parkland, but few know of the benefits the development will bring the local area today.
Bela, the development company behind Priors Hall Park, and Lagan Homes, the first house builder on site, believe it is imperative to be involved with and support the local community, and as such have come up with an initiative with Corby based Tresham College to allow NVQ construction students a taste of life in the industry.
The aim is to allow 40 students over a 20 week period the opportunity to leave the classroom and go ‘on-site’, learning the realities of life in the house building world and gaining a firsthand understanding of the pressures and responsibilities that come with the job. After instruction and demonstrations in various disciplines, such as bricklaying and carpentry, students will get the opportunity to immerse themselves in the trade, and for the first time experience the realities of the job that they are hoping to do in the future.
Bela believes that by allowing the students the experience of touching and tasting the real world they are working towards, they will come to develop a true understanding of a world which is a long way from the classroom. Students will have the opportunity to meet and talk to other tradesman on various rungs of the construction ladder and it is hoped that this will give them a greater vision of what they are working towards.
As Alfred Buller, Director of Bela explains, “At the moment many of tomorrow’s generation of workers don’t know what to do or where they’re going. We hope this scheme will allow the students a wider vision of what is on offer, so that they can understand first-hand that their qualifications at College are important and that it is the first step up a long ladder. They must hear from the horse’s mouth that if they work hard then life will offer great variation and opportunity”.
With close guidance from the experienced builders at Lagan Homes and the chance to sample a range of skills first hand, it is hoped the students will get an insight into a world which is for many still a very foreign place. Darren Wright, Construction Director for Lagan Homes explains further; “We believe it’s very important for the students at Tresham to understand life on the building site. Not only will the days on site involve activities that will test speed and ability for the required skills, there will also be a serious element which will show why health and safety and protocol are such essential parts of life on-site”.
Those at Tresham are also very excited by this new scheme which is hoped will put the College on the map as the place for construction qualifications. Colin Needle, Head of Apprenticeships and Construction Director at Tresham College elaborates; “This is a very exciting scheme for Tresham, the first of its kind. The students will be very motivated to listen, learn and impress their instructors, and we hope them to be role-models for other young people in the local community”.
Simon Evans, Chief Executive of North Northants Development Company, said:
“This initiative demonstrates the important role the Homes and Communities Agency’s Kickstart funding will play in reviving the local economy and how it will have a positive impact that goes beyond delivering new homes that people can afford to live in. Young people need real help in getting a foot on the career ladder so it is great to see local partners work so quickly to open up these opportunities at Priors Hall Park.”
Phil Hope MP for Corby and East Northamptonshire and Minister for the East Midlands, said:
“This fantastic opportunity for local young people hasn’t happened by chance. The Kick Start funding brought to Corby by the Government came with an agreement that developers must offer apprenticeships. I have to thank Bela Partnership for acting so swiftly by backing Tresham College, Corby and giving our young people the benefit of real hands-on training.
“We can see all around Corby how our long term policy of saying yes to expansion and development has served the whole community well. Now that our stalled housing projects are springing back into life the regeneration of Corby carries on, new homes will be created and more jobs will be secure for the future.”
As an added incentive to the scheme, Lagan Homes are offering to 10 students who show most drive and ability whilst on work experience, the opportunity of an apprenticeship slot with a tradesman on-site. As Darren Wright continues, “We hope this will show the students that if they work hard they can achieve their goals, and that there are jobs out there for people who apply themselves”.
So it is from here that Bela and Lagan Homes start their search for....The Real Apprentices.