It takes a lot of talented people to create a sustainable new community like Alconbury Weald, and master developer Urban&Civic is investing in skills, training and opportunities to connect local people with the jobs being created over the 25-year project.
Constructed Pathways
To help meet demand, Urban&Civic is working with Constructed Pathways, who work with the construction businesses on site to help them find local people, and work with local people to give them training, work experience and access to jobs, both on site and across the local construction sector.
From taster sessions, Skills Bootcamps and work placements to facilitating apprenticeships with local colleges, through collaboration with contractors and employers, Constructed Pathways is helping people develop long-term careers in construction and the built environment.
The initiative focuses on creating clear and accessible career pathways for local people, including young people who are not currently in education, employment or training (NEET), alongside those looking to rebuild confidence and return to work.
National Skills Academy for Construction
To help maximise those opportunities for local people, Urban&Civic has been working with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) to establish Alconbury Weald as a National Skills Academy for Construction.
As part of this approach, contractors, housebuilders and key suppliers working at the development commit to supporting local employment, training and educational outreach as part of their contracts.
This includes commitments linked to:
- local job creation
- apprenticeships and work placements
- engagement with schools and colleges
- green skills and sustainability training
- upskilling existing workers within the industry
Supporting military veterans
Supporting military veterans
Urban&Civic is also committed to supporting military veterans to retrain, develop new skills and find rewarding careers in the built environment.
Constructed Pathways will play an important role in helping facilitate these commitments and support contractors in connecting with local talent.
Make Your Mark
Each year, Alconbury Weald hosts a Make Your Mark event for girls at secondary schools across Huntingdonshire.
Designed to inspire and empower young women to explore careers in construction and development, students are given valuable insights into the wide range of professions within the built environment, and how these disciplines work together to create sustainable new communities.
At the most recent Make Your Mark event, students took part in a creative design workshop to contribute ideas for a new green space in the future Runway Park, explored Alconbury Weald’s bespoke play areas and tried their hand at bricklaying, virtual welding and operating heavy machinery through a state-of-the-art plant operator simulator.
Work experience
Each year, as part of its ongoing commitment to nurturing young talent and providing employment opportunities to local people, Urban&Civic offers work experience placements to secondary school students interested in finding out more about the wide range of careers involved in creating a new community like Alconbury Weald.
Career Days
Members of the Urban&Civic team also attend careers days at the local secondary schools with interactive tools to help showcase the wide range of skills and disciplines involved in creating a sustainable new community like Alconbury Weald.
School visits
School visits
To help bring classroom learning to life, Urban&Civic and its contractors also arrange site visits for students interested in pursuing a career in the built environment. In October 2025, ten students from St Peter’s School visited Alconbury Weald to find out about the wide range of skills needed to develop a major piece of infrastructure like the development’s Southern Gateway.
Click to find out moreCase study
George Holman
Inspired by a week of work experience in 2017, George pursued A Levels and a degree in geography. When he applied for a year-long industry placement as part of his university course, the Urban&Civic team remembered him, recognised his potential and hired him in a salaried position at Wintringham. As well as spending time on construction sites, George also had the opportunity to work with different teams at Urban&Civic’s London office, enhancing his understanding of the many different roles of a master developer.
Having completed his degree, George was offered a permanent, full-time role as a Graduate Project Manager and is continuing to shine as a key part of the Urban&Civic Alconbury Weald team.
"George’s journey from work experience to Graduate Project Manager, serves as an inspiring example of what can be achieved by investing in and nurturing young talent, making the construction industry more accessible for future leaders. George's story is a testament to the bright future that awaits those who are eager to learn and grow within Urban&Civic and the construction industry.”
Get in touch with us
If you are a school, student, veteran or just want to find out more about jobs and skills at Alconbury Weald, please email at: info@alconbury-weald.co.uk
