A FIRM based in west Suffolk is building relationships with local students looking to work in the construction industry.

Bennett Homes, based at Nowton, near Bury St Edmunds, has formed a partnership with Stowmarket High School to help with the delivery of its Construction and Built Environment Diploma.

As part of the link, a group of students visited the company’s headquarters for a half-day session focusing on the different stages involved in the house building process.

A key part of the visit was carrying out a planning exercise, in which the students had to analyse the development of an actual Bennett Homes site, considering the various design constraints including community consultations, planning legislation and environmental concerns before coming up with their own layout.

They were then shown the actual planning approved design so that they could see how the various constraints had been addressed.

Adam Bell, development director, said: “As a business, we have always prided ourselves on the high quality of our homes, built by skilled craftsmen using traditional materials. We are delighted to have an ongoing partnership with Stowmarket High School and play our part in educating the next generation”.

Jim Hawkins, who is leading the project at Stowmarket High, added: “Our partnership with Bennett Homes is an excellent way for the students to gain a valuable insight into how construction companies operate and experience what it is really like to work in the industry.

“They can appreciate first-hand what they learn in the classroom as they get to see things in ‘real-life’. Our visit to a Bennett Homes’ site was also useful in terms of seeing construction in progress and learning about the sales operation.”

Bennett Homes, a family-owned business formed more than 60 years ago, currently has sites at Mundford, Downham Market, Attleborough and Wereham, all in Norfolk.