College Students get Site Experience with St. Modwen Homes

12 bricklaying students visited St. Modwen Homes’ Bagnall Meadows development on Castle Street to see first-hand how construction of the 80 new homes is progressing following the launch earlier this month.

Julian Harrison, Curriculum Leader for Construction at Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group, said: “This was a great opportunity for our bricklaying students, many of whom had never been on a live construction site before, to get some hands-on experience and see what they’ve been learning in action.

“We’re based opposite the site at Bagnall Meadows and so, having watched the preparation and groundworks from afar, it was interesting to see how much the development has progressed and it was extremely valuable for our students to be able to speak to the site team and get their insight on entering the industry.”

Dave Smith, Managing Director at St. Modwen Homes, said: “At St. Modwen Homes we’re committed to tackling the current skills gap and working with local colleges to attract talented young people into the construction industry is a big part of this. As such, and as part of our support for the Home Building Skills Pledge, we set ourselves a target to give 120 students, aged 16-18, work experience this year.”

Partnering with numerous colleges across the country, St. Modwen Homes has currently provided hands-on experience for over 60 students this year.

Dave Smith continued: “Moving forwards, we are looking at additional ways in which we can work with Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group. In particular, we want to promote diversity within the industry and highlight the full range of jobs available. Hopefully, in a couple of years’ time, some of the students will be starting a career with St. Modwen Homes.”

St. Modwen Homes is building a range of two, three and four bedroom homes at Bagnall Meadows with prices starting from £220,000 for a three bedroom Houghton property. In addition to the new homes, the housebuilder will also deliver areas of open green space and extend the existing public footpath and cycle routes at the former Castleworks industrial site.

A multi award-winning housebuilder, St. Modwen Homes achieved a 5 star rating from the House Builder’s Federation (HBF); the highest accolade to be granted by the national housebuilding body. The housebuilder has also won multiple awards for its house designs, quality of build with a reputation for designing homes with higher than average ceilings, large windows and spacious living areas, as well as eco-friendly technologies, high quality fixtures and fittings and a ten year build guarantee.

For further information about the new homes, people can call 0844 243 4899, visit www.stmodwenhomes.co.uk or follow the housebuilder on Twitter and Instagram (@StModwenHomes) or like the Bagnall Meadows page on Facebook.