Mansfield college helping ex-military veterans learn construction skills

During a five-week programme, run in partnership with national charity Building Heroes and Leicester-based Davidsons Homes, learners receive hands-on tuition in key areas of construction and safety.

The college delivered the first three intakes of these accredited courses at its Kirkby construction campus back in 2021 and is now delivering the same successful programme at Davidsons Homes’ Ibstock training centre.

December saw the graduation of the latest intake of ex-servicemen.

Throughout their five-week programme, students were able to visit one of Davidsons’ construction sites to practice skills and meet tradespeople on-site to discover how to link their qualifications with real-life working environments.

Graduate Daren Lewis was in the British Army’s infantry, but was medically discharged in 2018.

The 43-year-old said: “This course taught me such a lot. As a result I’m much more confident and prepared to take on construction tasks on my own.

“It was such a good programme and I’d highly recommend it, as you learn such a range of skills. I’m now in full-time employment and during my time off I am looking into setting up in the world of property maintenance.”

David Cope, college directorate internal quality assurance lead, said: “This group of veterans have worked so well together. They really took up the challenge of mastering a range of skills and it’s brilliant to know some have already gained employment with Davidsons.

“On behalf of tutor Stan Smith and myself, being two ex-service personnel, we’re very proud to be able to give something back to support our veterans learning new skills and having a positive learning experience.”