Military veterans gain building blocks for new careers

The ninth cohort of military veterans has graduated from our pioneering property maintenance course, which is going from strength to strength in its second year.

The veterans gain practical skills in bricklaying, plastering, wall tiling, decorating, joinery and plumbing leading to a Certificate in Multi Skills during their five week intensive course with Reaseheath Construction. If successful they are also awarded a Level 1 Award in Health and Safety which allows them to apply for their CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme) card, a requirement to work in the building industry.

The training is delivered in partnership with armed forces training charity Building Heroes. We are one of just three colleges to offer this course currently and have trained 84 veterans to date. The tenth cohort will start training at the beginning of June.

Ninety percent of graduates go straight into employment, self-employment or into further education to increase their knowledge and skills. Some will join expanding property maintenance service Heroes 4 Hire-Handymen and are supplied with a liveried van and tools, enabling them to deliver a service directly to homeowners.

Brendan Williams, Chief Executive of Building Heroes, confirmed that the charity will continue to support the training and continues to move towards its goal of training 1,000 veterans per year, helping them progress into skilled employment in the construction and related industries.

The first woman to complete the course, Lyndsey Amos, whose long-term plan is to build her own campsite for veterans combined with a birds of prey and wildlife rescue centre, shared some of her thoughts on her experience: “I am keen to use my experience in the military to help other veterans, and it’s proven that being around animals is particularly beneficial for mental wellbeing.”

“The course has helped clarify my long-term career goals and given me some valuable further skills and key contacts to help me progress further with my plans. It’s amazing how much can be achieved in five weeks.”

The latest cohort of graduates received their certificates from Eddisbury MP Antoinette Sandbach. Antoinette said: “It’s inspiring to see how Building Heroes in collaboration with Reaseheath College is genuinely changing lives. The camaraderie amongst veterans and staff is infectious.

“This is a truly invaluable initiative which is offering military veterans a valuable way to enter the civilian workforce. These men and women possess a large number of skills from their previous life and have already proved their dedication.”

The graduates were:

Jason Hanks (2^nd Bn Royal Anglican), Gary Parkin (1^st Battalion Stream Yards), David Reid (Royal Logistic Corps), David Boardman (Royal Engineers), Steve Beattie (Royal Navy), Lydnsey Amos (Royal Logistics Corp), Lee Holt (Royal Artillery), Chris Meachem (Royal Artillery Air Defence)

For more about our construction courses see www.reaseheath.ac.uk/construction