Helping to raise aspirations in his hometown is a priority for Pete Johnson, particularly when it comes to careers in construction.
A senior director of the team helping coordinate the build of Redcar’s new Regent Cinema development, he knows firsthand the opportunities that exist in the industry.
Now he plans to help spread the word by sharing the benefit of this unique experience with students at Redcar and Cleveland College.
Offering an insight into working life behind the scenes of the exciting new development, he said: “This is such a brilliant project to be involved in and, for me, it feels very personal, after all this was the cinema that I went to as a kid.”
A former construction student at Redcar and Cleveland College, Pete said: “There are so many different roles involved in a development like this, but when you think about a career in construction, people often think of a bricky or labourer. There so much more to it than that.”
By creating links with the college, he explained through masterclasses, site visits and hopefully, working around the restraints imposed by COVID-19, work placements, the project can give students an insight into every stage from the ground up.
“This is a chance to think about and understand the roles of all those involved from the designers to the structural engineers, the architects and quantity surveyors,” he said, all highly skilled, professional roles that exist within the construction industry.
As a senior director at Identity Consult, with offices in Sunderland, Preston and York, Pete, who is originally from Brotton, said: “I don’t think running my own business was something I gave much thought to when I was younger. I don’t think a lot of people, including my younger self, understand the career opportunities that are out there.”
By working closely with colleges, he now wants to help overcome that and due to his own links with the area, Redcar and Cleveland College was an obvious choice.
Choosing a BTEC Level 3 in Construction after leaving school, Pete said: “I firmly believe in the vocational route, and the skills it gives you in preparation for the world of work.”
He added that for him the course at Redcar and Cleveland College was great preparation for going on to study a degree and ultimately a Master’s in civil engineering at the University of Birmingham.
Now living in Whitley Bay, Pete has worked on developments all over the country, but he admits that those close to his childhood home always give him that extra buzz, having worked on the likes of the Tuned In! building and refurbishment of Hillview, an intermediate care centre in Eston.
He said: “It is rewarding to get to a point when you are driving about and you see people living and working in different developments you have been involved in and to know that you played a part.”
When it came to bidding for the Regent Cinema development, which is being delivered with funding from the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority, he said: “I think one of the reasons we were successful is that they could see that it really matters to us. This is such an exciting project to be involved in.”
The College’s head of department for construction, engineering and service industries, Neil Bowen, said: “It is always fantastic to be able to offer our young people the chance to meet and work with former students who have gone on to achieve great things in their own career.
“We are delighted Pete and his colleagues at Identity Consult have chosen to allow our students the chance to learn from this unique experience as part of a development that is such a prominent part of Redcar’s past and future.”
Also working with the council as part of the Redcar Town Deal, part of which includes looking specifically at skills and training, Pete said: “There are some good opportunities coming up, particularly around Teesworks, meaning there will be high value jobs. It’s so important to make sure people in the area have the ambition, aspiration and skillset to get those jobs.”
