We welcomed the CEO of our Gold Partner, Annington, to our Building Heroes North East Programmes
Our Gold Partner continues to show their support as we welcomed Annington CEO to our Building Heroes North East Programmes
Earlier this month, the Building Heroes North East team had the pleasure of hosting Ian Rylatt, CEO of Annington and Official Gold Partner of Building Heroes, at the inaugural Retrofit Programme and our established Streetworks and Groundworks programme in the North East of England.
Upon arrival at the Gateshead Skills Academy, Ian met with half of the Building Heroes Retrofit Assessor cohort, accompanied by course tutor Kevin. Ian shared insights into Annington's operations and discussed potential employment opportunities for the cohort upon leaving the military. He highlighted that Annington directly employs around 50 personnel, including Project Managers, Operations Managers, and Planners. Ian also mentioned that Annington subcontracts much of its work to Tier 2 contractors, who are eager to hire newly qualified Retrofit Assessors. Ian committed Annington to collaborate with Building Heroes to invite representatives from these subcontractors to future employer open days for the Building Heroes Retrofit Assessor programme.
Later, Ian visited Beamish Museum, where the other half of the Retrofit cohort was undertaking their practical assessments on a pre-war period house. Taking time to meet the learners in between their assessments, he reiterated the potential employment avenues within Annington, their subcontractor partners, and the Green Skills sector at large.
Transitioning to Bolden, Ian joined Helen, our Academy lead and the Building Heroes Streetworks learners, meeting the service leavers and veterans as they completed asphalt repairs in hi-viz from head to toe! Ian took time to speak with the Streetworks cohort at length, emphasising the prevalence of ex-service personnel in major civil engineering organisations. Drawing from his 20-year experience with Balfour Beatty, Ian underscored the value placed on military attributes by such companies.
The cohort appreciated Ian's insights, particularly coming from a CEO with extensive experience in hiring and working with veterans. His visit provided invaluable encouragement and motivation to the participants of both programmes as they pursue post-military career opportunities in the construction sector. We remain grateful to Ian personally and the wider Annington team for their ongoing support of Building Heroes and our mission to recruit, reskill, and redeploy the Armed Forces community. We are steadfastly focused on providing barrier-free access to training, mentorship, civilian qualifications, and employment support, creating pathways for service leavers, veterans, reserves, and military family members seeking careers or further training in construction.
If you want to find out more about Annington and their support of our community, pop on over to their website here: SOCIAL | Annington
If you want to find out more about these exciting courses and the opportunities they offer, click the link below.
