With a start-stop stint at college, 20-year-old, Alisha Winder decided that solely spending days in the classroom wasn’t right for her and opted to kick start her career by joining the housebuilding workforce. Alisha, who joined Linden Homes’ West Yorkshire region in Leeds in September 2017, is now one of the 42 employees in the business enrolled in the Management Trainee Programme .
Alisha has been working in the property industry for four years, initially starting her career as an administrative apprentice at Keepmoat Homes and has recently completed her level three diploma in Built Environment to enhance her knowledge in the sector. She is now due to start working towards an HNC in Build and Environment at Leeds College in September, which is supported by the Linden Homes trainee programme, allowing Alisha to continue with her studies whilst working.
Following her 10-month period with the technical department, and as part of Linden Homes’ management trainee programme, Alisha is imminently due to spend a two-month rotation with the other departments within the business: commercial, land, marketing and sales, finance and construction.
She said:
“The management trainee programme is such a fantastic opportunity to learn about how the different aspects of the business work together to achieve the same end goal of providing high-quality new build homes within communities.
“I have really enjoyed my time with the technical team and I’m looking forward to utilising the experience and knowledge I’ve learnt so far as I rotate around the other departments. Being hands on and getting involved in the practical ways of working is important to truly understand the business’ way of working, I can’t wait for my journey to continue on the programme.”
In the technical team, Alisha is currently reporting in to Erica Bell, the region’s Technical Director and is responsible for assisting the technical team of nine.
Alisha added:
“My role as a technical trainee involves the coordination of technical information of several developments at one time, from the planning stage through to completion. As each of these projects differ, my days at work are very varied, busy and interesting – no two days are ever the same. I’ve most enjoyed working with the architects on the designs and layouts of the homes; it will be great to see the homes come to life when I spend time on site with the construction teams.
“I am so pleased that I came across the opportunity to work in housebuilding when I decided to leave college early. The industry is fast paced, challenging and rewarding so I’m eager to develop my career path with Linden Homes whilst also maintaining my education as a hope to achieve a degree one day too!”
Andrew Hammond, Linden Homes’ Divisional Chairman said:
“Our management trainee programme strives to provide our trainees with an all-encompassing experience of working in housebuilding. It is fantastic to see that Alisha has embraced her initial time with our technical team in our West Yorkshire region. The technical team play a vital role within our business, being involved in all stages of the developments we build across the UK, so this is a great department for Alisha to start her journey with us.
“We are dedicated to attracting and retaining new employees into the housebuilding industry. Our management trainee programme is helping us to achieve this though a bespoke approach tailored to each employee. As part of the programme, we offer on-the-job experience whilst also supporting external education helping to set our trainees up for a successful career in the sector.”
Linden Homes is fully committed to encouraging more female talent into the business and is in its third year of sponsoring the Women in Property Awards which help to drive a step change in the opportunities available to women in the sector.