LOVELL COMMITS TO BOOSTING SKILLS AND BUILDING NEXT GENERATION OF INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS
LEADING housing developer, Lovell Partnerships continues to invest in the construction workforce of the future, offering on-the-job experience and skills training to help build lifelong careers.
Five trainees currently working in the Lovell East Midlands region have spoken of their experience, including what drew them to the company and their day-to-day insight.
James Bingley, Ethan Dixon, Scott Cairns, Joshua Rhodes have all been working for Lovell alongside studying for qualifications linked with the built environment, ranging from higher national certificates (HNCs) and degree apprenticeships to masters courses.
In addition, Ted Russell is also spending one day a week with the Lovell commercial team for the next 18 months while he is studying for his T Levels.
Trainee quantity surveyor James finds his role and experience with Lovell is often a talking point with other students on his course. He said: “The extra on-site experience I’m getting while studying is invaluable. The team is great at giving you ownership of your work, while still providing support whenever it’s needed. Having had no previous experience, it was a steep learning curve, but I really don’t think there is a better way to build a career.”
Management trainee Ethan first enjoyed work experience with the team, which inspired him to join permanently.
He said: “Even though I had an idea about what I wanted to do, it was important for me to get a flavour of everything as construction is so broad.
“With Lovell you can become a well-developed and rounded employee, getting exposed to a large range of sites and seeing all the different practices and people. It’s a brilliant team.”
All trainees spend four days a week with Lovell with access to a mentor and have one day set aside for their chosen college or university course. Individuals benefit from being able to ‘earn while they learn’ while the combination of classroom learning and site experience ensures trainees are ‘workplace ready’ as they become qualified, helping to address the widening skills gap within the industry.
Having been with Lovell since September 2021, trainee site manager Scott has been able to reflect on the experience he’s gained over the past two years alongside his studies. He said:
“I had some previous experience in construction, but nothing compared to this – it’s really developed my skills properly to get hands-on with my work.
“I was particularly privileged to see the first set of handovers at the Beckhampton development in Nottingham, having been involved in the project from the start. Hitting milestones like that help you see what the work we do is really all about.”
The most recent to join is trainee health, safety and environmental advisor, Joshua whose job involves regular inspections and assessments to identify potential hazards. He then works to eliminate these risks and implement health and safety procedures to ensure workers and the public are safe on and off site.
He said: “My favourite part of the role is co-operating with the site teams to find solutions to any issues that occur. It’s highly rewarding knowing you have made the site workers’ environment safer. I also like working with different departments to try and understand the complexities they face and what we can do to support them.
“It was evident when first joining the region that there is a good culture here and within the team, we aim to build upon that. I feel supported and encouraged in my role and excited about the future.”
Beth Bundonis, regional managing director at Lovell, said: “By recruiting at this early-stage career level and helping participants develop their practical skills, it means we create and retain the expert teams we need for the future particularly as there has been such a shift in recruitment over recent years.
“Our trainees are an integral part of preparing the business for the future. It’s also an important way in which we invest in and benefit the wider community in the areas where we build, helping local people gain nationally recognised qualifications and equipping them for long-term successful careers.
“We are currently on the lookout for a technical trainee to start with us in March 2024 and would love to hear from anyone interested in gaining their qualifications while building a career with Lovell.”
To find out more about careers, apprenticeships, and trainee programmes at Lovell visit: Careers at Lovell Partnerships
