Building a Pathway from Service to Site – Building Heroes and Thakeham

A Year of Impact Through Partnership

During our current year of partnership, Building Heroes has been proud to count Thakeham as a Bronze Sponsoring Partner. Through this collaboration, Thakeham has consistently demonstrated its commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant and to supporting the transition of service leavers, reservists, and veterans into meaningful civilian careers.

Thakeham’s recognition as a Gold Award holder under the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme places the company among a select group of employers who actively advocate for and support the Armed Forces community. In achieving this status, its leadership in championing veteran inclusion is clear and commendable.

Forces-Friendly Values in Action

This year, Thakeham proudly joined Building Heroes at a British Forces ResettlementServices (BFRS) careers event. This joint attendance provided an opportunity to engage directly with service leavers and share the combined strengths of our partnership—highlighting the pathway into construction careers through work placement opportunities for skill development, access to funded training and progression to Forces-friendly employment environments.

Representatives from both organisations offered advice, insight and encouragement, underlining the power of collaboration in helping the Armed Forces community navigate the transition to civilian employment.

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On-Site Learning at Welborne Garden Village

Thakeham has welcomedlearners from the Basingstoke Building Heroes Academy to Welborne in Hampshire, where the company is building some of the garden village’s first homes on behalf of the development’s Master Developer Buckland Group. These site tours offer a comprehensive introduction to the phases and complexity of a large-scale residential development, including Thakeham’s commitment to sustainability, modern methods of construction including timber frame construction, and the high focus on quality delivery.

The visit gave learners a valuable opportunity to experience a live site environment—bridging the gap between classroom training and real-world expectations and reinforcing the relevance of their learning in a practical context.

“It was areal eye-opener to modern methods of construction. Seeing how the skills we’re developing in the workshop are used on a real housing development brought everything to life. It gave us a genuine feel for what happens as a site develops and helped us understand the commercial environment we could be working in after we finish the programme.” - Building Heroes Learner, Basingstoke Academy.

Sarah Crush, Social Value Manager at Thakeham, said:

“We are committed to helping veterans and reservists find a rewarding career in construction by providing the necessary skills and employment pathways. Our partnership with Building Heroes supports active service members and veterans transition into civilian life via work placements and site tours as part of the charity’s academy programmes.”

Tailored Work Placement: Darren’s Journey

As part of its support for personalised resettlement pathways, Thakeham facilitated a work placement in April 2025 for Darren, a Warrant Officer Class One in the British Army, who has completed 25 years of service and is due to leave the Forces in October2025.

During his placement at Welborne, Darren gained valuable experience working alongside Thakeham’s site team and its electrical subcontractors, Read Electrical Services, supported by its MD Paul Read.

"Thank you for the opportunity your team gave me. It was a great experience, especially with Paul’s team who welcomed me in and empowered me to get hands-on with tasks suited to my ability. It gave me a great eye-opener into how domestic sites are organised and how you work alongside different trades. Paul told me to call him once I leave the Forces, which was a real morale boost."

Following this placement, Darren secured a second opportunity with Darke and Taylor Ltd, running through to his discharge and with the potential to lead to full-time employment.

"The experience has definitely helped me explore my civilian career options with greater confidence and determination."

A Partnership Making a Real Difference

Over the course of this year, our partnership with Thakeham has delivered measurable impact—helping veterans and service leavers gain insight, experience and employment opportunities within construction.

Thakeham’s annual sponsorship directly facilitates the funded training and wraparound support delivered by Building Heroes for a minimum of five learners from the military community each year. This vital support helps veterans achieve a successful transition from service to civilian life, while providing clear, accessible pathways into meaningful second careers across the construction and infrastructure sectors.

From national engagement to tailored placements and inspiring site tours, this collaboration continues to demonstrate the power of industry and charity working together to build not just homes, but new futures for those who have served.