Wilten Drovers Retail Park, Kent – Building Careers Together

Community engagement is at the heart of what we do, and our Drovers Retail Park project in Ashford gave us the perfect opportunity to connect with the next generation of construction talent.

Students from Ashford College, currently studying a mix of construction courses, joined us for a full site tour led by our project team. They were introduced to the background of the project, the different trades involved, and the way our team collaborates with each other and the project stakeholders to bring a development like Drovers Retail Park to life.

The visit began with a presentation where we shared insights into the wide variety of roles across the construction sector — from site management and engineering to design and planning.

Following the presentation, the students enjoyed a tour of the site where they saw construction in action and were able to connect what they had learnt about the project to the real-life setting. The Q&A naturally came during the tour, with lots of thoughtful questions about routes into the industry and what life on site is really like.

For us, these visits are more than an open door — they are a way of bridging the gap between education and employment. By offering young people real-world exposure, we hope to spark ambition, build confidence, and support their journey into meaningful careers.