Multi-award-winning Hill – WhatHouse? Housebuilder of the Year in 2015 – has set a new record for itself with 28 new undergraduate trainees joining its workforce in one month.
This is the organisations’s largest ever cohort of trainees ever and they join two recent graduate starters, who are working in Hill’s development team. These trainees will be given the opportunity to get on-site experience as site managers, contract surveyors, technical coordinators, estimators and architectural technicians, as well as one day a week at university towards a Bsc (Hons) degree.
In July, the company joined The 5% Club, with which it commits to ensuring that at least 5% of its workforce will be made up of apprentices, sponsored students and graduates by 2022. The fast-growing housebuilder, which works primarily in East anglia and the Home Counties, is already well ahead of this target, with 17% of its current staff being trainees.
“We are extremely proud of our trainees and our pledge as a member of ‘The 5% Club’ underscores the premium we place on investing in the next generation of construction industry workers,” says Simon Hawkins, training manager at Hill. “This sector needs to attract new talent and address our looming skills shortage. Currently 17% of our total workforce is in training, with the majority falling within the 18-24 age bracket, which is fantastic.
“Our trainee programme has been extremely popular since we started it 13 years ago, enrolling over 160 students, and the fact we are taking on a record number again this year speaks for its success.”
The experience offered by these opportunities has been particularly valued by Erin Coltman, who has just completed her first year as a trainee site manager on the Hill Management Trainee Programme, says: “I had always been interested in the construction industry and decided to join Hill after really enjoying a work experience placement on site whilst I was in Sixth Form. I have gained valuable experience in construction management, working on sites across Cambridge, whilst also studying at university. I also loved having the opportunity to rotate around different departments and getting an appreciation of how the company works, as well as being able to meet new people in the business.”
Hawkins adds: “We have very high expectations for our management trainees and they continue to surpass them year after year by showing commitment to our programme and fully integrating themselves into our wider business. We are now looking forward to welcoming our 28 new recruits over the next few weeks and watching them develop over the next five years.”
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