Kickstarting careers in construction in the Westcountry
We’ve been kickstarting careers in construction by providing seven placements to young adults across the business as well as one highly respected mentor with half a century of experience.
The six-month placements for the group of seven 16 – 24-year-olds are supported by the government’s Kickstart Scheme, which launched in September 2020 to provide funding for employers offering new job roles to young adults in receipt of Universal Credit. Final placements must be secured by December 2021 to be eligible for the funding.
Site Manager Tim Riesner has been volunteering his time to mentor the young people on the scheme by sharing his career journey, answering questions and giving advice.
Tim said: “Throughout my almost 50-year career in construction, I’ve worked on numerous projects, from creating shelters for cruise missiles at RAF Molesworth, to the restoration of a 15th Century manor house for English Heritage where we used horsehair and urine in the lime plaster, and powdered milk to paint on the new stonework to encourage the growth of Lichens.
“It’s been a pleasure volunteering on the Kickstart Scheme. It’s provided me with a fantastic opportunity to pass on everything I’ve learnt to the next generation of homebuilders”.
As well as gaining vital experience and training, we’ve been helping participants to build a successful start in their careers by developing their CV, learning IT and telephone skills, time management, and improving their understanding of what to expect when entering the jobs market to boost their confidence in interviews.
“We’re passionate about supporting the next generation to get into homebuilding and understand the current challenges young people are faced with when securing permanent employment due to the national pandemic.
“The scheme provided us with a brilliant opportunity to support under 25s in finding the right career path for them and to offer valuable skills and hands-on experience needed for future employment,” added Victoria Potter, Head of HR.
We also ran a Kickstart Fair at our Torquay head office with support from a local job centre. The Fair enabled individuals interested in the scheme to meet with people across different departments to find out about the various roles involved in homebuilding and ask questions.
For more information about the scheme and to find out about available opportunities at Cavanna Homes, contact [email protected].
