Area Focus: Coventry - Mid Warks - Double success as pair graduate with support from employer

A Midlands construction and development group has continued its track record of developing staff with the graduation of two of its trainees.

Jake Bishop and Josh Hendy have become the latest staff members at the Deeley Group to successfully complete degrees after support from the firm.

Deeley Group, headquartered in Coventry, has a proud history of supporting the development of both its site and office-based teams – with 26 per cent of the firm’s current staff having come through a trainee, apprenticeship or graduate programme.

Jake, site manager, has secured a has secured a BSc First Class Honours in Construction Management, and Josh, quantity surveyor, has completed a BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying & Project Management with a 2:1.

Jake, 30, from Solihull, joined Deeley Group as a trainee site manager in 2019 and completed his degree at Birmingham City University while working as a site manager for Deeley Construction.

He said: “I’ve tried to take every opportunity that presented itself since joining the business.

Now I have graduated, I can focus on carrying out my role full time and hope to be able to continue progressing.

“The support and opportunities the business has given me have been fantastic. They have shown great faith in me and my ability.

“It’s been beneficial to develop my theory and knowledge at university while also learning on the job and being able to put that theory into practice. It has been a five-year process for me, but doing the degree alongside my job on site has been great for my progression.”

Josh, 25, from Stafford, began working with Deeley during a placement year at Nottingham Trent University and chose to stay on, completing his final year of studies part-time. Over three years, he has progressed from assistant to quantity surveyor, supporting a diverse range of retail, healthcare, and education projects.

“My course at university was a sandwich course and I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to join Deeley on placement,” said Josh.

“I really enjoyed that year and the business took me on as an employee part-way through. It was clear to me that I would get great support in my development through Deeley and the team here would help me to progress.”

Deeley Group is a member of The 5% Club, a group of more than 250 employers committed to developing the skills of young people.

Eleanor Deeley, joint Managing Director at Deeley Group, said: “We place great importance on developing our team, with many senior staff starting as trainees or apprentices. We are committed to supporting staff in their growth, through apprenticeships, degrees and ongoing professional development opportunities.”