February 2005 - Student Collaboration Is Creating Consort's Homes
It’s half way through the Consort Homes Student of the Year Award placements and the chosen 12 Leeds College of Building students have been working hard to obtain the prize of a salaried position at Consort, £250 and a bespoke tool kit worth £200. Consort’s Site Managers and Head Office staff have been overseeing the student’s hoping to find those who demonstrate real ability in the traditional and much needed art of house building and its management.
The CITB projection of annual net requirements for new entrants in the construction and specialist contracting sectors between 2000 and 2004 was 74,800 across the UK. Consort Homes has undertaken this initiative as the company believes that this award is one of the ways of meeting this demand, by identifying and encouraging suitable students through colleges like Leeds College of Building. Partnerships such as the Consort’s Student/s of the Year programme are an excellent way to assist full time students into employment and ensure training and development of future house builders.
This is the first year Consort has launched this award, which aims to recognise a wide variety of achievements, including: job performance and ability, academic performance, personal qualities and proactive contribution during work placements.
Consort hopes that this award will facilitate greater collaboration so that construction education can develop and grow to more comprehensively fulfil the needs of students and industry employers.
Consort Homes’ Chairman Darren Stubbs commented: “We aim to provide students with skills and knowledge that they would not have obtained in the mainstream program. Placements will allow students to improve on many skills important to career development such as communication, teamwork, and professionalism.”
He continued: “The students have been working hard and we’re pleased with their development. In June we will all sit down and decide on those we wish to employ.”
