Young people given chance to find out about careers in construction on visit to Bellway site at Ebbsfleet Garden City

Young people had the chance to visit a construction site in Ebbsfleet Garden City to learn more about working in the building industry.

The 14 students from St John’s Catholic Comprehensive School in Gravesend were invited to Bellway’s Alkerden Heights development, as part of an initiative by the Construction Youth Trust (CYT).

The trust works to enable young people to overcome barriers and find out more about careers in construction and the built environment sector. Its vision is to see the sector help drive social mobility and help young people from low-income backgrounds realise their potential.

Mark Harrop, Sales Director for Bellway Kent, said:

“Inspiring young people to pursue a career in construction is crucial for us. New talent is the absolute lifeblood of this industry, and we need keen young people who can see that this is a great career choice and who want to learn and progress.

“The work of the CYT is giving opportunities to those who might not otherwise think about working in construction or have the opportunity to find out more about it, as well as encouraging them to aim high.

“So, we were very happy to host the school students at our Alkerden Heights development and give them a flavour of what it is like to work within the industry.”

The visit to Alkerden Heights took place in October.

The students were shown around a ‘House to Home’ plot so they could see how a home is built. These plots display the different stages within the build process.

On the ground floor, everything is at first fix stage, meaning features such as piping, wiring and blockwork are still visible. There are also viewing points showing insulation behind the walls.

Upstairs, the different plastering stages can be viewed demonstrating how the home looks at second fix.

Bellway Site Manager Richard Perrin also gave a talk about careers within the industry.

Nancy Cannon-Ikurusi, Senior Schools and Programme Coordinator at CYT, said:

“The Trust works to enable young people to overcome barriers and to inspire them about the wide breadth of careers in the construction and built environment sector. The Trust drives social mobility in the sector by focusing on young diverse talent from low-income backgrounds and helping them achieve their full career potential and build better futures.

“We were happy to have had the opportunity to take our Year 11 and 13 cohort from St John’s Catholic Comprehensive School to visit Bellway’s Alkerden Heights development.

“The students got to see the different stages of the build – from the showrooms to the finished houses – and had the chance to speak to industry professionals about their roles and the apprenticeships they were interested in.

“We are thankful to Bellway for helping us provide our young people with a good understanding of construction careers, which is critical to social mobility and improving their prospects.”

Bellway is building 182 one, two, three and four-bedroom homes at Alkerden Heights. The scheme is part of the wider Ebbsfleet Garden City project, which is set to deliver 15,000 new homes near Ebbsfleet International railway station.

For details about careers with Bellway, visit here.