For National Careers Week, we are showcasing our excellent people that we have been working with as part of the Government’s Kickstarter scheme.
The Kickstarter scheme supports young people aged 16-24 that are at risk of long-term unemployment by funding them through a job for 6 months. It provides people on the scheme with great experience and skills that give them a better chance of getting a job in the future. We currently have 8 kick-starters across our projects.
Matthew Jarvis has been on site at our EMD Cinema project. Matt has joined the team as an assistant administrator and has been supporting both the Commercial and the Operations teams with various admin tasks. He is now in charge of purchase orders and checking and approving invoices for all materials deliveries to site. For the build team he has been helping out with keeping files and folders up-to-date, as well as updating induction sheets and organising signage out on site.
It is Matt’s first time on a construction site so he has been learning the basic fundamentals of how a site operates and what each team members roles and responsibilities are. Matt has also booked his CSCS Health, Safety and Environment test for 16th March 2022, which will enable him to go on site independently and develop his skills further.
“The Kickstarter scheme has helped me to better understand what it’s like to work within a big team on a construction site and how the whole project process works. It has also helped me to find out what it’s like to work in a different company like this which will further develop my skills in the office.” – Matthew Jarvis, Kickstarter at EMD Cinema.
Matthew Jarvis, on site at EMD Cinema.
We have had 2 Kickstarters on our Wolverhampton Civic Halls project. Tishaun and Josh both started 3 weeks ago and are looking forward to learning new activities during their time with us that increase their skillset. They have both settled in well to the new environment on a live construction project.
Above: Josh, one of the Kickstarters
Above: Tishaun, one of the Kickstarters
This is one of the great ways we are providing support and valuable experience to young people to give them a better chance of a good career ahead of them.
Supporting people into good careers is a key element of our 2030 sustainability strategy, Now or Never. Sarah Fraser, Head of the Willmott Dixon Foundation, explains: “As we emerge from the Covid pandemic, upskilling in our local communities will be more important than ever. Supporting people to find long-term jobs will help give the construction industry the capacity to build the much-needed infrastructure that will generate wider growth in our economy.
“It’s also part of our ethos to drive social mobility and leave a skills legacy in the communities where we work. Now or Never includes our commitment to help more than 1,000 people facing significant barriers to work gain access to new career opportunities.”
For more information on how to apply to this scheme, head to the Department for Work and Pensions job board.