Industrial Placements

Eleanor Fitton - Trainee Strategic Planner

I first became interested in the property industry throughout my time at sixth form. At the time, family members were working in the consultancy and property sectors, which introduced me to the profession of town planning and my passion for wanting to work in the property industry. Having studied City and Regional Planning, I was aware of Berkeley as a company within London and the south of England, and I was interested in the scale and dominance they have in the property industry. This led me to strategic land planning, where I am based at the moment.

So far during my time at Berkeley, I have undertaken work that involves the analysis and interpretation of a district's local plan evidence base to assess the objectively assessed housing need of an area, in combination with writing representations to local councils supporting strategic applications.

In addition to this, at least once a week I get out of the office to attend either site visits or meetings with consultants and other parties involved to discuss the determination of planning applications. Currently, I am working with colleagues, consultants, and members of the council to devise an illustrative masterplan for a contracted site comprising approximately 1,500 homes. This project has involved extensive technical work.

Tanaka Lusengo - Project Management

I was drawn to Berkeley Group as an employer due to the quality of the developments. I have always been quite a perfectionist, so when I saw the work Berkeley has completed and the company ethos, I believed it was a perfect fit. I am also a huge enthusiast about giving something back to the community and was drawn to the fact that Berkeley has committed to implement community plans on their developments to facilitate thriving communities.

One of my managers recently took a week off, meaning I was given full responsibility for his work. During this time I had to organise the removal of a portable toilet cabin off site. It was the first time I had full responsibility of a project. Although it was stressful, I learnt a great deal and enjoyed being busy. All the staff throughout my placement have been very friendly and welcoming. I have learnt a lot from them and they were always happy to answer any questions I may have had.

Prior to my placement, I had no experience of being on site and I had little knowledge of the construction processes and terminology, so I definitely feel that my sandwich year has been a worthwhile experience for my career progression.