North Wales construction degree receives huge 800 applications in just a matter of weeks

A building degree run in partnership with Coleg Cambria has received more than 800 applications.

North Wales-based housebuilder Redrow revealed the huge number of people who applied for its Sponsored Construction Management Degree Programme – formerly known as Redrow’s Housebuilding degree – during the summer.

This follows the housebuilder opening the programme up to those not currently employed by Redrow.

The degree programme was launched in 2017 in partnership with Coleg Cambria and Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and, over a three-year period, teaches participants the skills needed to work in a range of departments at a housebuilder.

The programme is the first dedicated degree of its kind, with students splitting their time between studying and working in one of Redrow’s divisions across England and Wales.

Until now, Redrow’s degree has been offered to current employees with a level three qualification, or a minimum five years in the industry, who would embark on the programme to attain a BSc (Hons) Construction Management in Housebuilding.

This year, Redrow invited school leavers with three A-Level pass grades or a BTEC Level 3 to apply, providing them with a first level entry opportunity to join the construction industry.

The programme attracted more than 800 external applications this year, with 17 successful candidates joining Redrow’s South Midlands, South East, North West, Lancashire, Southern Counties and Yorkshire divisions as undergraduates in past weeks.

The degree learning will commence in January 2021 at Coleg Cambria.

Anna Milne and Kate Hopkins, Heads of Talent at Redrow, said: “We were blown away by the volume of high-quality applications we received for our Sponsored Construction Management Degree Programme.

“Many students who completed their A-Levels or BTEC courses this summer wanted a higher education route which provided important skills for an exciting career, at the same time as providing an income.

“Our degree is fully funded by Redrow and allows students to study for a BSc (Hons) Construction Management in Housebuilding and learn on the job whilst getting paid. Our first cohort, enrolled in 2017, are now in their final few months of the degree.

“They have learned so much that has been invaluable to their careers and have also made life-long friends – we’re now excited to welcome our new students to Redrow and wish them the best of the luck.”

Fully funded by Redrow, the course provides a deep dive into housebuilding skills, including assessing quality, project management, health and safety, business skills and negotiation, right through to relevant aspects of law, mathematics and economics.

Each year there are six block weeks of learning that are taught in partnership between LJMU’s Department of the Built Environment, Coleg Cambria and Redrow business experts, with the rest of the contact time satisfied through practical site visits and tutorials with support from Redrow’s divisional Managing Directors and their teams.

The students are assessed in a variety of ways including presentations, group projects, examinations, coursework and a final year dissertation project. For the rest of their time on the course, students will partake in rotational placements in each of Redrow’s departments from technical through to land.

There are currently three cohorts studying towards this degree qualification, with the first cohort of undergraduates due to graduate at the end of 2020.

Pictured: Student Rhiannon Elliott at the Redrow HQ in Ewloe