Employees of David Wilson Homes will be able to study for a bespoke foundation degree in Residential Development and Construction, designed by David Wilson Homes' parent company, Barratt Developments, together with Sheffield Hallam University.
Daniel Jackson, 19, from Woodford in Kettering, is an apprentice carpenter and soon to be Trainee Assistant Site Manager working at David Wilson South Midlands' Mulberry Gardens development in Moulton and is one of two employees at the division to study for the degree.
‘I'm currently doing my NVQ Level 3 in carpentry with David Wilson Homes and when I decided I wanted to become a site manager, I spoke to the construction manager about my options. He offered me the opportunity to do the foundation degree and I jumped at the chance,’ he said.
‘I've still got a few months before I finish my apprenticeship, but I've already started taking the foundation degree course at Sheffield Hallam University and I'm really enjoying it. I plan to stay on at David Wilson Homes as a site manager and use the skills I learn through this degree to work my way up through the ranks,’ he added.
A top apprentice employer, David Wilson Homes is part of the nation's largest house builder, Barratt Developments, which has recently pledged to take on 1,100 graduates, apprentices and trainees over the next three years, in addition to the 600 trainees already recruited since February 2013.
‘This foundation degree is a first for us and for the industry. Our site managers are a vital part of our workforce in underpinning the quality and sustainability of the homes we build so we are investing in them now for future growth,’ said Chris Hatfield, managing director at David Wilson Homes South Midlands.
‘Barratt Developments has taken on 25 new trainee site managers as a result of this scheme, two of whom are based at David Wilson South Midlands in Northampton. They are already proving to be great assets to their divisions,’ he added.
The foundation degree in Residential Development and Construction is a three year part time course designed specifically for Barratt Developments' employees. Students will attend Sheffield Hallam University in four, one week blocks.
Learning will be a mix of classroom based, laboratory based and out on site. The course will be completed by December 2016 and students will then move onto a 1.5 year top up course to obtain a BSc qualification in Residential Development and Construction. Students who go on to complete the top up course will graduate in November 2018.
