Linden Homes welcomed school children, students and members of the public when it opened its doors to its St John’s development in Chelmsford last week.
The event was part of ‘Open Doors’ – an industry initiative to show the diverse range of career opportunities that the construction business has to offer.
Linden Homes was one of over 20 employers taking part in the Open Doors Weekend across England, Scotland and Wales.
The initiative is the result of a partnership of four leading industry bodies, UK Construction Group (UKCG), CITB-Construction Skills, The Considerate Constructors Scheme, Construction News and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).
Once the gates to St John’s were opened, the young visitors were taken on a tour of the site. During the visit they heard from onsite experts - build manager, Mark Ringsell and commercial manager, John Stanton, and were invited to join in with a question and answer session with other Linden Homes’ specialists.
Mr MacConville, teacher from St John Payne School said: “It has been very interesting hearing from the Linden Homes team on site who have provided our students with a positive insight in to working in the construction industry and the career doors that can be opened.”
The Mayor of Chelmsford, Councillor Bob Villa attended the proceedings to support the local house builder in educating the local young people of Chelmsford: “Construction is one of the most important and varied industries in the UK and this visit to St John’s has been a rare and exciting chance to see what goes on past the hoardings of a housing development site and meet the men and women who make it all happen.
“Chelmsford is a thriving city and housing developments like StJohn’s are allowing people to move to this sought after area and become part of our community. The work that Linden Homes has carried out to refurbish the former hospital of Chelmsford is both considerate and appealing and I look forward to seeing the development become another strong community within our city.”
The CITB estimates that more than 180,000 construction jobs will be created over the next five years while nearly 20% of the current work force is over 55. According to a CITB survey entitled Educating the Educators, 35% of career advisors believe construction to be an unattractive career choice.
It is hoped the Open Doors event will be particularly useful for young people who might be considering a career in the building industry: Adrian Bohr, managing director for Linden Homes’ Eastern, says there is a wide choice of roles to choose from for all levels from school leavers to graduates and experienced professional:
“We don’t just employ engineers and builders at Linden Homes. There are many other careers available – such as land buying, design, marketing and sales. We have specialists overseeing every different stage of the building project – from town planning experts to customer service advisers and everything in between. We hope the Open Doors event has shown young people what a company like Linden Homes is all about – and shed light on the various professions that are involved.”
(To find out more about the Linden Homes’ St John’s development in Chelmsford, call 0844 488 1738.)
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For further information, contact Claire Cathersides or Emma Cox at Remarkable Group on 01962 893893.
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