Development updates

Petersfield site manager in love with rescue diving urges youngsters to follow his footsteps

- 12 Dec 19

An enthusiastic site manager in Petersfield, who rescue dives in his spare time, is urging young people to join the housebuilding industry and take advantage of a training scheme.

Jamie O’Leary, based at Bovis Homes’ Beaumont Place, off The Causeway, is encouraging construction workers to follow in his footsteps to take part in the trainee assistant site manager programme.

Jamie, 36, who regularly dives off the Egyptian coast and is training to be a dive master, says there aren’t enough youngsters signing up to housebuilding and those that do, need to aim for the top, including his 16-year-old son, Josh.

The father of two, who has been diving for eight years, said: “The trainee assistant site manager programme is a wonderful course and without it I wouldn’t have become a site manager. I’m encouraging my son to do it – to get that knowledge and responsibility and thrive in the industry.

“Beaumont Place is a lovely location, there are lots of people moving out of the city to live here and we have home owners of all ages, from young couples to families to the elderly.

“It’s important to unwind and have a passion outside of work and I tell that to my kids. Diving is very important to me and I have been lucky enough to dive in some great places.”

Jamie, from near Yapton, was a bricklayer for ten years before working on build extensions. He took the trainee programme before becoming an assistant site manager and started his current role in October.

The Portsmouth football fan, who has worked in construction all his life, put Beaumont Place’s success down to the quality of houses at the site and his relationship with both the area build manager and his team.

He lives with his wife Kelly, Josh and 12-year-old daughter, Isabelle.

Beaumont Place is a vibrant location set within the beautiful countryside of the South Downs
National Park. It has excellent transport links and is within close proximity to Petersfield town centre.