16.10.19

We launched the ilke Academy to train up the housebuilders of tomorrow

The ilke Academy will offer jobs to people from various backgrounds and train them up in engineering, carpentry, manufacturing and construction.

We are delighted to announce the launch of the ilke Academy, the first onsite Learning and Development facility for modular housing.

We’ll be welcoming in new recruits from all walks of life. From school leavers, to ex-military; retirees to reformed offenders, men and women, these new members of the ilke Homes team will form the next generation of housebuilders, helping plug the skills shortages the industry faces and building the homes of the future.

And we couldn’t be prouder.

Creating new, local jobs and helping to get underrepresented groups into the industry are key priorities for us and we will be providing our new recruits with skills for life in an emerging UK industry.

We want to challenge the misconceptions around construction and prove that it is an exciting and sustainable career. Everyone deserves a chance to be trained – not least when they can help end the housing crisis by building beautiful, high-quality homes at pace.

We’ll be equipping them in the skills needed to build a house: engineering, plumbing, manufacturing, construction, carpentry and design. These are the vital skills of today and tomorrow, and through our blended training approach training programme they will be masters of modular in no time.

The ilke Academy will also support trainees’ professional growth, with a leadership development course already in place offering internal progression opportunities and a clear career path.

Because we aren’t just about building homes, we’re about building careers.

We want to lead the way, not just in the modern methods of construction but in the culture of our company. We want to set the precedent by which other companies will follow, striving to embed the skills industry needs to close the skills gap, and train up a workforce fit for the future of housebuilding. And it starts here with the ilke Academy.

But we won’t stop there.

We’re committing to ensuring that 30% of our workforce are women, more than double the manufacturing industry average.

These schemes form part of our company’s wider CSR plans that has already included establishing an initiative with Queensway Primary School where we are partnering with Rugby World Cup winner Jason Robinson to teach pupils that they can achieve anything.

Meanwhile, we intend to expand our training programmes to apprenticeships and graduate schemes as we look to make Yorkshire the manufacturing powerhouse it once was and reverse the brain drain the region currently faces.

By creating networks with local schools and HM Prison Wealstun and HM Prison Askham Grange we will help break down barriers and change perceptions of what a career in a housebuilding can offer.

As the pace quickens for modular, we’ll need a workforce ready to deliver the houses that the country needs and deserves.

And with the launch of the ilke Academy, we’ll be ready to do just that.

If you’d like to get in touch to hear more about the ilke Academy, please contact: ilketeam@ilkehomes.co.uk