Redrow ramps up talent intake to mitigate ‘lost pandemic generation’

October 18, 2021 / Keith Osborne
Redrow ramps up talent intake to mitigate ‘lost pandemic generation’

As National Graduate Week gets under way today (Monday 18 October), Redrow has revealed that it has offered more career opportunities to school and university leavers in the past 12 months than ever before.

Redrow has significantly increased its focus on emerging young talent to ensure that no future construction stars miss out on opportunities as a result of the pandemic.

In October last year, Redrow took on 16 sponsored degree students and this was boosted by 32 graduates joining the housebuilder in January 2021. A further 11 graduates started in September, in addition to 14 individuals commencing Redrow’s rotational programme that identifies potential leaders of the future.

This means more than 70 people have joined Redrow’s various graduate talent programmes in the past 12 months and applications will soon be open for the next cohort of its sponsored degree programme commencing in September 2022; a scheme that attracted more than 800 applications last year.

Redrow is not only committed to helping young people develop through graduate routes. The housebuilder has also recruited 111 apprentices across trade and office-based roles in 2021, matching pre-pandemic levels.

Paul Borrowdale, emerging talent manager for Redrow, said: “At Redrow we are passionate about growing our own talent, as well as identifying the potential construction stars of the future. This has always been a key priority for us, but has become an even more vital objective during the uncertainty of the past 18 months.

“Many students have had their learning interrupted by the various lockdowns and subsequent restrictions, so we wanted to help limit the impact of this by offering more opportunities than ever before to help ambitious young people get the best possible work experience.

“Over the last decade we have recruited close to 250 individuals onto graduate programmes and we are delighted to have taken on more than in any other year for the 2021/2022 cycle.”

Current school students interested in applying for the sponsored degree programme can find out more information here.

Initial online submissions are then followed by a Zoom session and then a face-to-face interview.

Rhiannon Elliot, an assistant engineer at Redrow, said: “I joined Redrow just over four years ago and it is strange to think that before then I wasn’t aware of the opportunities available within the construction industry, let alone that I’d now be in my final year of Redrow’s housebuilding degree and managing three of my own sites from a technical perspective.

“I am so pleased I decided to enrol onto the degree. When I joined the company I was very new to the industry but over the last four years, thanks to the degree and really supportive teams, I have learned so much about all of the different skills and departments at Redrow. What I have learned through my degree has been invaluable in helping me progress my career.”

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