Young people are being offered the chance to secure a skilled job on the Whitehill & Bordon Regeneration Project in a unique deal with developers.

The Future Skills Centre, part of Basingstoke College of Technology, is working with house builder Taylor Wimpey to find apprentices and give them the construction skills they need to help build the town’s ambitious future.

They will be trained at the Hudson Road site in Bordon and potentially will be given full employment once their three-year training programme is completed.

Taylor Wimpey has committed itself to employing six bricklaying apprentices to work within the Dukes Quarter section of the redevelopment.

Another house builder, Zero C, has pledged to take on a number of carpentry apprentices within its development.

East Hampshire district councillor Ferris Cowper, who helped set up the partnership and is portfolio holder for Whitehill & Bordon, said: “The dream of ‘The Town That Builds Itself’, is becoming a reality.

"We are delighted to be able to work with these developers, who have a national reputation, in collaboration and with the exceptional Future Skills Centre.

"I’d like to acknowledge the effort put into this by Charles Waggett, a director of Taylor Wimpey, who adopted my suggestion with enthusiasm and turned it into this very exciting project.

"The regeneration of Whitehill & Bordon is all about hope for the future. Through this project our young people can have new hope of employment and prosperity in this amazing project that is setting national standards across the board."

Taylor Wimpey which operates locally as part of the Whitehill & Bordon Regeneration Company, is ready to recruit and deliver excellent training to students at the Future Skills Centre from September 2019.

Steve Gilder, manager of the Future Skills Centre, said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity for the Future Skills Centre to work with such prominent employers and it can only benefit the young people of Whitehill & Bordon.”

The model, thought to be unique across the country, has apprentices working in sectioned-off areas of the development, under the watchful eye of a Master Tradesperson, who offers specific guidance and on-the-job training.

By improving the skills base in the Whitehill & Bordon area, East Hampshire District Council hopes to attract businesses and create new employment opportunities as well as mitigating the rising skills shortage in the construction industry.

Applications for the apprenticeship programme close on September 6. To find out more about the programme and how to apply, email [email protected] or call 01256 306304.