Events

Bovis Homes’ rising stars showcased in new housebuilding report on skills and diversity

- 06 Mar 20

Two rising stars from Bovis Homes feature in a national report highlighting the housebuilding industry’s skilled and diverse workforce – and the pair were on hand to discuss their work with MPs at the launch event at the House of Commons.

Jasmin Drummond, 18, business administration apprentice, and Charles Bond, 28, area sales manager, were celebrated in a new report from the Home Builders Federation (HBF), which seeks to highlight the diverse workforce needed to ensure that the UK meets the challenge of building 300,000 homes every year.

The pair attended the House of Commons to meet MPs and other housebuilding representatives to discuss the future of the industry and different employment routes, including the need to do more in schools to educate pupils on the variety of roles.

Jasmin, from Sutton Coldfield, has worked at Bovis Homes – part of the newly-formed Vistry Group – for nearly 18 months.

She said: "Visiting the House of Commons was so exciting and I really enjoyed discussing housebuilding with other people in the sector. I've loved my apprenticeship so far and have worked in a range of departments, including build, sales and marketing, and commercial. I've developed skills in each area and the experience has been brilliant, I recommend an apprenticeship to other young people."

The report – Building a Future: Opportunities in Home Building – profiles individuals across a variety of roles in the sector, illustrating that people who want to work in housebuilding have a myriad of options available to them.

Getting your hands dirty is optional – although construction is obviously the core activity of home building, finance, design, planning and sales are also essential. There are opportunities for people of all backgrounds and talents to develop a rewarding career.

Charles, from Cheltenham, who covers Gloucestershire and parts of Oxfordshire, joined Bovis Homes in 2015 as a site sales co-ordinator, whose role was to co-ordinate new sales office set-ups across the region. Both his parents met while working at Bovis Homes more than 30 years ago.

He said: "The House of Commons event was a fantastic opportunity to meet MPs and discuss how things can be improved in housebuilding, while acknowledging success and the opportunities there are for people to join the sector. I felt very proud to be a part of the debate and to mark the industry's diversity."

Following a period of under-supply, the past six years have seen considerable progress with the delivery of new homes increasing by an unprecedented 93 per cent. As a result, there has been significant growth in the number of industry entrants needed to keep pace with this development. The report says 750,000 jobs have been supported or sustained by the home building industry, with more than three jobs supported or sustained for every new home built.

The Rt Hon Christopher Pincher, Minister for Housing at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, said of the HBF publication: “Building a Future: Opportunities in Home Building demonstrates why this sector is one of the most diverse and well-paid industries in the UK. It caters for everyone from the best and brightest graduates designing and creating the homes of the future, to school leavers starting their very first job.”

If the UK was to meet the challenge of building 300,000 homes every year, this could equate to a workforce of almost one million. Over 8,400 graduate or apprenticeship positions in a variety of roles are currently supported, from bricklaying to quantity surveying and business administration.

Stewart Baseley, HBF’s executive chairman, said: “With the publication of ‘Building a Future: Opportunities in Home Building’, HBF and our members are showcasing home building as an industry offering diverse, skilled and rewarding career opportunities.

“Our message is clear, let’s get this country building, let’s build a future and let’s do it with a diverse workforce.”