Member Article

Assistant Site Manager graduates with bespoke foundation degree

Joshua Whitehead is the first to graduate with a bespoke foundation degree in Residential Development and Construction designed by local housebuilder, Barratt Developments, which includes the Barratt and David Wilson Homes brands. Joshua, now Assistant Site Manager at David Wilson Homes’ Hewenden Ridge development in Cullingworth, graduated on the 25th November with a foundation degree from Sheffield Hallam University, following three years of study and practical application at various sites across the region.

Joshua, 24, from Guiseley, was one of the first Barratt Developments employees to go through the specially designed course and was appointed at Barratt Homes’ Greenacres development in Pontefract as Trainee Assistant Site Manager in 2013 after initially becoming an apprentice bricklayer with the company in 2010. Learning on the foundation degree course is classroom, laboratory and site based and is designed specifically for Barratt Developments employees. Joshua now hopes to use his skills and qualifications to help him move up the career ladder and become a Site Manager with the leading developer.

Joshua commented: “I am so excited to be graduating with a degree in Residential Development and Construction after three years of hard work and determination. Through this course, I learnt the theory behind construction, including important legislations, and I now have an understanding of why the construction industry operates the way it does. The foundation degree was incredibly interesting and challenging, and I can’t wait to continue practicing all that I’ve learnt. Barratt is a great company to work for and I’m looking forward to progressing within the organisation.”

Ian Ruthven, Managing Director at Barratt Developments Yorkshire West, commented: “This degree was a first for us and for the industry in 2013 and I’m so pleased to have seen Joshua apply himself so well and graduate! Barratt Developments’ site managers are a vital part of our workforce in underpinning the quality and sustainability of the homes we build. The sector and market is constantly changing and evolving and our workforce face new challenges in the increasingly technical build processes, so we continue to invest in people today to shape the future of the construction industry. Joshua has proved himself to be a great asset to our division and I wish him all the best for the future.”

For more information about Barratt Developments Yorkshire West, please visit http://www.barrattdevelopments.co.uk/

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Richard Savage .