Growing the skillbase
At Crest Nicholson we support the development of the young skillbase in the sector through apprenticeships, developing graduates and providing student placements.
Apprenticeships
We place a high value on apprenticeship programmes. Our aim is to provide practical, work-based projects to support coursework, and to enable our apprentices to gain up to an NVQ Level 3 qualification. Despite the economic downturn, we kept all of our existing apprentices, and took on a further nine in the year. Seven of these joined our pioneering project at Stowmarket. We have committed to creating five apprenticeships per division per year.
Each apprentice receives continuous support from a local college and regular assessments are also held with a representative from ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council and the Industry Training Board for the construction industry. While on-site they are supervised by a sub-contract tradesman and the site management team and are provided with skill-based learning and mentoring. They remain directly employed by Crest Nicholson for the duration of their apprenticeship.
Developing graduates
Crest Nicholson has committed to employing at least one graduate per division per year. However, with the additional internal redundancies in 2009, we were able to offer only one place.
We offer graduates a comprehensive training programme within the business, and we encourage and support them in achieving a professional qualification.
Joe Fidler, one of our graduate trainees from last year, talks about how being part of the Crest Nicholson Graduate Trainee programme and gaining a qualification has helped him to progress.
"Until I sat and passed the exams – the Assessment of Professional Compliance through RICS – I was still doing my rotational learning placements. I was working in all the different departments as a graduate trainee but not concentrating on any particular projects. But as soon as I passed, Crest Nicholson promoted me to Assistant Land Buyer.
"Now I have a lot more responsibility. I work on three or four projects at a time and I can really get my teeth into them. I am managing those projects now, whereas before I would always have been shadowing someone. Now I get to represent Crest Nicholson on my own with agents and consultants.
"I would recommend the graduate trainee programme to anyone because it really helped me to see different parts of the business and meet all the people in those departments. And now I am an Assistant Land Buyer I can still draw on what I learned on my rotation. Studying for the qualification was also really helpful because it filled in some gaps in my knowledge. Most of all the training and the qualifications have really been good for my confidence."
Joe Fidler
Crest Nicholson Regeneration offered summer placements to three students
Alex Berry – studying Land Management at Reading University, and spent his internship within the planning department.
"My period at Crest Nicholson has given me a greater insight into commercial property and has confirmed my desire to have a career in this sector."
Caleb Bell – studying Land Management at Reading University and worked on strategic projects during his internship.
"My time with Crest Nicholson has given me a real insight into the various stages of the development process from research, through financing to selling. It has given me a greater understanding of the subject as a whole, as well as specific knowledge gained from real developments."
Pippa Sharman – is completing a BSc in Real Estate Management at Oxford Brookes University. Pippa spent her internship focusing on commercial buildings.
"My time at Crest Nicholson has enabled me to see what skills are necessary to develop and succeed in the industry. It has given me a new perspective on my studies, as I have observed learning from books and lectures put into practice."
Safety in the community
'Lifeskills – Learning for Living' is a permanent regional safety education and training centre built as a realistic 'village' at the Create Centre in Bristol (www.lifeskills-bristol.org.uk). It is designed to help children and other members of the community learn about safety in a fun and practical way, be it in the home, on the road or during leisure time.
Martyn Price, Crest Nicholson's Group Health and Safety Manager and a Director of Lifeskills, continued his role as Volunteer Guide to Lifeskills throughout 2009, taking small groups of children, aged 10-11, around each of the scenarios explaining the key safety messages.
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Our charitable giving.