National homebuilder CALA Homes has launched its Construction Academy of Excellence to reinforce build quality and standards in site management by providing a structured career path for its construction workforce.

Partnering with industry-leading training providers, the National House Building Council (NHBC), Keystone Training and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), CALA’s Academy investment comes at a time when attracting and retaining a skilled construction workforce is key in delivering on the UK’s housing targets.

The Academy’s bespoke training programme has been co-designed by in-house experts at CALA and specialists from each training provider, and will provide CALA’s site management staff across the UK with a number of pathways for professional development. The programme aims to advance the technical and managerial knowledge, skills and behaviours of CALA’s site management workforce, who are responsible for the high standard of build quality that CALA is renowned for.  

Kevin Whitaker, CEO at CALA, comments: “As the demand for housing supply continues to increase, the industry needs to deliver on the challenges around recruitment and retention of skilled site teams, along with the delivery of a quality product. We believe that a more structured and strategic approach to learning and development for site management teams is central to this.

“At CALA we have always placed great importance on investing in our people. With our Construction Academy of Excellence, we are making a serious investment in how we develop our construction teams, giving them the knowledge and expertise to do their jobs to the best of their abilities and, most importantly, to CALA’s own high standards. Our aim is to continue to attract, develop and retain the best construction people in the industry and, in turn, continue to deliver high quality homes for our customers.” 

CALA has partnered with leading training providers to align industry-recognised training modules with CALA’s build processes and quality standards, as well as its leadership approach and cultural values. Through the Academy, site management staff at all levels will have the opportunity to complete a formal qualification, and those who wish to progress further will be supported to achieve Chartered Construction Manager status through the CIOB.

Linzi Shearer, Academy Project Manager at CALA, said: “The Academy programme provides a number of pathways allowing employees to choose which route is best suited to their personal career aspirations, previous experience and existing qualifications.

“By investing in the development of our construction teams in this way, we are aiming to not only improve employee engagement and retention, but also to maintain high standards in quality through the consistent delivery of best practice across the CALA businesses. Ultimately, the Academy is about continuing to deliver high quality new homes and the positive experience that our customers expect.”

Michael Reeves, NHBC Training Manager adds: “We are very pleased to be partnering with CALA Homes on the launch and roll-out of its new Construction Academy. Employer-led training initiatives are very important for the industry and we’ve worked closely with CALA to develop the content of the training programme.”

Angela Loggie, Managing Director of Keystone Training, says: “Our team will be delivering the leadership and management elements of the Academy programme, which are vital for site managers who take responsibility for all construction and people activities on site, while working to high quality standards and strict deadlines. We are delighted to partner with CALA as they make this valuable investment in their site team.”

CALA’s first Academy participants began their training in October. To find out more, visit www.cala.co.uk/academy