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Ray Minto, Graduate Trainee, 2008 Programme Intake
BA Estate Management, University of Northumbria
Ray studied Estate Management at the University of Northumbria and is working towards his RICS APC. He joined the Graduate Development Programme in 2007.
“The English Partnerships Graduate Development Programme offers a unique opportunity for anyone wishing to pursue a career within the regeneration industry.
“Coming from a technical surveying background I had an understanding of how physical regeneration could be brought forward through the development process. What I didn’t understand were the political and social drivers, which go to the very heart of delivering sustainable communities – places where people want and can afford to live.
“Over the past 12 months I have worked on a number of projects in the North East and the South East, gaining real experience and developing new skills which have given me an excellent foundation to progress my career within this challenging industry.
“It’s impossible to describe a typical working day within English Partnerships as the variety and scope of projects is so wide from working on national programmes such as The Local Housing Companies and National Coalfield Programme to dealing with smaller windfall sites transferred to English Partnerships from the Commission for New Towns.
“In my last placement within the Ashford office I was involved with the project management of Connaught Barracks a former MoD site transferred to English Partnerships through the Surplus Public Sector Land programme.
“Working in partnership with the Local Authority and English Heritage I was involved in the preparation of a Development Brief to dispose of the site whilst seeking to secure the long term future of Fort Burgoyne - a Scheduled Ancient Monument which formed part of the site. This involved appointing and managing consultants to carry out technical studies, liaising with Dover District Council to embed the proposed scheme within the Local Development Framework Core Strategy, working in conjunction with English Heritage and English Partnerships National Consultancy Unit to prepare a Conservation and Management Plan for Fort Burgoyne or devising a Community Engagement Strategy.
“It would be wrong to think that the Graduate Development Programme was just about gaining hands on regeneration experience of delivering projects. The scheme focuses on developing your professional skills through a series of training courses and actively encourages Graduates to engage in Self Directed Learning – enabling graduates to think strategically and challenge upwards, adding real value to the projects in which they are involved with.
“Overall the Graduate Development Programme offers an excellent opportunity to develop regeneration and business skills in a challenging and exciting environment, it rewards those people prepared to work outside their comfort zone with an unrivalled experience within the regeneration industry.”
© English Partnerships 2003-2008