The company has supported seven local supervisors to gain an industry recognised qualification that will also help further their careers.They have all achieved a Level 2 certificate in Team Leading from the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM).

Paul Terry, Michael Venencia, Tony Neason, Lee Overthrow, Stephen Chatterton, Danny Parsons and Simon James Lockett took part in the training as a result of the company’s partnership with the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT).

Candidates had previously successfully completed a nine month course at Willmott Dixon’s own ‘Supervisors’ Academy’ to gain an internally recognised qualification in team leading.
However, the company identified that they had no industry-recognised formal qualifications to prove their level of supervisory competency and was keen to ensure that their skills were recognised.

Willmott Dixon is currently working with Birmingham City Council to repair and maintain 60,000 properties in the city. It’s two contracts for the north and south of the city includes the areas of Edgbaston, Hall Green, Northfield, Selly Oak, Ladywood, Erdington, Perry Bar and Sutton Coldfield. It aims to reduce the cost of this service by £47m over the five year terms of the two contracts.

Tony Neason, age 48 and from Birmingham, joined Willmott Dixon as a carpenter three years ago when the company started work in the north of the city.

He said: “I’d been a carpenter for 30 years when I joined Willmott Dixon, but found myself taking on a supervisory role after just one month. Whilst managing over the last three years I have recently moved from carpentry to managing the plumbing team. Although my strengths were with the carpentry team because I have the trade background, with the supervision training I have received I feel just as confident in new role. My manager encouraged me to do the team leading qualification so that I would get some recognition for it. The course was very useful and I wish I’d thought about the opportunities for progression and done it much sooner.”

“Leading a team can be a challenge, but I love my role and being able to relate to the team and help out with problems. When I was working on site I always appreciated it when a manager had time to listen or lend a hand, and it’s great to be able to give something back in the same way. I always try to review our way of working and improve it for the benefit of the team and the company as well.”

Managing Director of Willmott Dixon Partnerships, Mick Williamson, said: “Our company is committed to recruiting from the local area wherever possible and leaving a lasting legacy in the communities in which we work. Ensuring our team leaders have the skills required to teach the next generation of tradesmen is vital for the development of the individual and the long-term health of our business. The better equipped our supervisors are, the more we can guarantee that the level of quality we strive for is maintained and passed down to the less experienced members of the team for the benefit of our client and their customers.”