To mark National Careers Week, award-winning housebuilder The Hill Group hosted a Cambridge networking event on March 6th to help advance the careers of apprentices working under its programme. In partnership with Cambridge City Council and employment agency K10, Hill has been helping 18 local apprentices acquire the key skills required to kickstart a career in the construction industry.

The breakfast networking event celebrated the attendees successfully completing their Level II apprenticeships with speeches by Jon Thistlethwaite, Regional Director of Hill and Claire Flowers, Head of Housing Development at Cambridge City Council. The event took place at the award-winning Knights Park in Eddington, Hill's exemplar residential development renowned for its state-of-the-art sustainable design.

Jon Thistlewaite, Regional Director at The Hill Group comments: “We have worked with Cambridge City Council and K10 to implement an apprenticeship scheme that inspires young people to learn vital new skills and provides essential experience in the workplace across a wide range of projects. We organised this event to enable the apprentices to connect with key local industry leaders and supply chain professionals and explore the variety of employment opportunities now open to them.”

“It is crucial to Hill that we invest in the future of our industry by working with our supply chain to provide training and job opportunities, whilst expanding our own talent pool. Further training to Level III is also now available to these apprentices with Hill, should they wish to pursue this option.”

Claire Flowers, Head of Housing Development at Cambridge City Council comments: “Investing in apprenticeships within the Cambridge area not only provides huge benefits to the lives and career prospects of young people but also adds positive social value for the local community. Hill and K10's apprenticeship programme offers a first-class pathway to employment for apprentices with an interest in construction and we commend them for the work they are doing.”

Lewis Timmins, Groundworks Apprentice, and winner of Best Team Player at the 2022 K10 Apprenticeship Awards comments: “I would like to thank The Hill Group, EJ Taylor and K10 for giving me this opportunity to kickstart my career in the construction industry and recognising my hard work with the 'Best Team Player' award. The support I've received on site has been fantastic, teaching me many new skills."

The training scheme for the apprentices was designed and funded by Hill with support from Cambridge City Council. The apprenticeships have covered a variety of trades such as bricklaying, carpentry and electrical, and on-site training has been provided in partnership with Hill's supply chain partners. Having completed their Level II apprenticeships, Hill is now supporting the students in securing onward employment, with further training to Level III also available.

Hill is an investor in training and apprenticeships throughout its business and has successfully partnered with K10 on similar training schemes in London. More than a quarter of all Hill employees are either graduates of its degree level apprenticeship programme or currently gaining their qualifications through it.

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About Hill

Hill is an award-winning housebuilder and one of the leading developers in London, the home counties, and the south, delivering both private for sale and affordable homes.  

Now in its 24th year, this family-owned and operated company has grown to establish itself as the UK's second-largest privately-owned housebuilder, with an impressive and diverse portfolio of schemes ranging from landmark, mixed-use regeneration schemes and inner-city apartments to homes in rural communities. 

Employing over 800 staff, the company operates from five strategically located regional offices, with its head office based in Waltham Abbey, Essex. 

Hill anticipates completing over 2,600 homes in 2023 and has a controlled land bank with planning consent for over 6,200 units. Around half of the development portfolio is in joint venture to deliver a range of mixed tenure developments, reflecting Hill's commitment to partnerships with government, local authorities, housing associations, and private clients. 

Hill has won over 480 industry awards in the past 24 years, including Best Medium Housebuilder at the Housebuilder Awards for the last three years, where in 2022, Hill's commitment to creating exceptional homes and sustainable communities was recognised with the Best Community Initiative and Best Sustainability Initiative. Hill's impressive Cavendish Villas at the highly sustainable Knights Park development in Eddington, Cambridge won Best Family Home at the 2022 Evening Standard New Homes Awards, as well as Best House and Best Exterior Design at the 2022 WhatHouse? Awards. In addition, Hill has been awarded the 5-star status in the Home Builders Federation's annual Customer Satisfaction Survey for the past five years. 

The Hill Group is donating 200 fully equipped modular homes to local authorities and homeless charities as part of a £15m pledge through its Foundation 200 programme, launched in 2019 to mark Hill's 20th anniversary.

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For more information, contact The Oracle Group PR Agency on Tel: 020 8394 2821 or hill@oraclepr.co.uk