Redrow West Country works with local schools to prepare teens for the workplace

Managing director of Redrow West Country, Nigel Palmer, has been working with local schools in Devon to educate teens on interview practices and inspire young people to pursue careers in housebuilding and construction.

Redrow aims to collaborate with education partners to positively impact people and communities and to inspire the next generation to build.

Nigel visited Devonport High School for Boys along with Redrow JJgraduate trainee, Hannah Pullinger. The two led a presentation to 25 pupils to educate them about Redrow and to inspire students to pursue rewarding careers in construction and housebuilding.

Nigel said: “What I found with the students was that they assumed careers in housebuilding centred around being a plumber or a carpet fitter.

“They were pleasantly surprised when I explained that roles such as PR and finance are just as important in our sector.”

Sue Moreton, IAG co-ordinator at Devonport High School for Boys, said: “The students very much enjoyed Nigel and Hannah's visit as it was a chance for them to gain an invaluable experience learning first hand from an employer.

“This is increasingly important around GCSE and A-Level exams time, as following which they will all be making future careers choices”

Nigel himself went to Devonport High School from 1977 to 1982 and commented that the school had extended slightly since he was there but that it felt familiar.

Devonian Nigel started his career as a quantity surveyor and, with more than three decades of experience in housebuilding, is well versed in what it takes to be successful within the industry.

For teens, leaving school and entering employment or going onto university is a daunting experience. Redrow recognise the importance of providing young people with career advice and preparing them for the workplace.

As part of this programme, Nigel also attended Teignmouth College where he challenged teens to ten-minute mock interviews, he then provided the students with five minutes of genuine feedback.

Nigel said: “The students at Teignmouth College were really engaged and seemed to get a lot out of the experience. Leaving school and entering employment can be a scary time, it’s great to be able to do my part to help prepare pupils for the working world.

“Working with the schools in our region was such a fantastic opportunity for me, I really learnt something myself too!”

Redrow prides itself on valuing and developing its employees. It offers a range of employment opportunities from apprenticeships to trainees to graduate programmes. 15% of its workforce are trainees and Redrow has been listed as a Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer for four consecutive years.