Military personnel preparing to transition into civilian careers in construction recently visited the Benwell Dene housing development in Newcastle for a first-hand look at life on a working building site.
The visit was organised by national partnership housing specialist Lovell, in support of Building Heroes – a charity that helps service leavers, veterans, and military families build new careers in the construction industry.
The group of 13learners recently completed a five-week course at the Building Heroes Academy at Darlington College, one of several academies which the charity operates across the country to provide barrier-free, funded training and employment support in the construction and infrastructure sectors.
It was the second cohort of military learners from the charity’s Darlington Academy that Lovell has hosted, following a site visit to The Cocoa Works development in Darlington in January this year. Another group also visited Benwell Dene in early July.
Army Air Corps warrant officer John Kirtland, 40, was among those to take part in the visit to Benwell Dene.
John completed a five-week construction multi-skills course through the Building Heroes programme at Darlington College and now has a Level 1 City & Guilds Diploma in construction skills, a CSCS card, and a Level 1 qualification in health & safety, tiling, plumbing, plastering, painting and decorating, joinery and brickwork.
He said
“It was a very interesting experience, and I would like to thank Lovell for organising the visit on behalf of myself and my fellow learners. We were all fascinated to get a behind-the-scenes insight into exactly what it takes to build a new home as we saw homes at different stages of the build schedule.
“I am leaving the Army after 25 years and it is good to know that people out there do care and that there is a scheme such as Building Heroes that helps people like me make the transition into civilian life and another career. I am sure that the skills I have acquired through the Building Heroes programme will stand me in good stead when I come to launch into a new career.”
Lovell signed up to become an official gold sponsoring partner of Building Heroes in October 2024. In that time, Lovell’s sponsorship has enabled more than 25 service leavers, veterans or military family members to access the charity’s training programmes, pastoral support and employability services. The company has so far welcomed 70 military learners on site visits to its developments across the country, as well as providing four work placement opportunities.
Lovell has a long-standing association with the Armed Forces, having worked on several service family accommodation schemes for the Ministry of Defence over the past 20 years, as well as delivering the pioneering Drummond Park development in Wiltshire, which saw veterans enter the construction industry, helping to build homes that they would eventually live in once construction was completed.
Naz Singh, Health, Safety and Environment Manager at Lovell, said:
“It was a pleasure to welcome learners from the Building Heroes programme at Darlington College to our site at Benwell Dene. The site team was very happy to demonstrate the practical application of the skills the learners are acquiring at the college.
“We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant which means that we will do all we can as a company to ensure that those who serve, or have served, in the Armed Forces, and their families, are treated fairly. To solidify that commitment we are supporting the excellent Building Heroes charity which is helping members of the Armed Forces to transition into second careers in the construction industry.
“Retraining and repurposing skills learned in the forces is a great option for former service personnel, and we are keen to show those serving in the military that there are fantastic opportunities for rewarding careers across the housebuilding industry once they move into civilian life.”
The North East region of Lovell is building 146 build-to-rent homes at Benwell Dene, working in partnership with Placefirst, the developer and long-term operator of the scheme.
