A construction student who left his college course halfway through to take up a job with Vistry Group has qualified as an assistant site manager.

Sam Taylor was 17 and in the first year of a construction course at a college in Macclesfield when he was offered a job at the housebuilder after just one week of work experience.

The 20-year-old has now completed his training programme and has just been made assistant site manager at Vistry's Hazelmere location in Haslington.

Sam was supported by Vistry as he attained a NVQ level 4 in construction management through an online training course with the National House Building Council. In March, he is to start a two-year course to gain a degree in construction site management.

His relative has also been a manager for the same company.

Sam, from Macclesfield, said: "Vistry is a brilliant place to work because the company has encouraged me and supported me in my personal and professional development since day one. It was a bit of a gamble to leave my college course halfway through, but I knew I would rather learn on the job than be in a classroom.

"My uncle was the site manager at a Vistry development in Brockworth in Gloucestershire and invited me on a week's work experience there. I loved it so much that I knew then I wanted to be a site manager. When I was offered a job by Vistry I jumped at the chance. My dad, who is a managing quantity surveyor at Vistry, let me make my own decision but knew how much I wanted to be in the industry."

Sam joined Vistry in July 2021 as a trainee assistant site manager at Hazelmere, where Albert Hassall, who has won the NHBC Seal of Excellence Award for five years in a row, was senior site manager. 

"It was amazing to start my career in construction under such an inspirational figure as Albert," said Sam. "It was an education to see how he would treat everyone with respect and understanding whether they be the trades teams, suppliers, the sales advisors or customers. He had time for everyone and was incredibly organised in all that he did. 

"After Albert moved on, Darren Reaney came in as site manager and as I became more experienced, I was able to help him out and take on tasks that I could not under Albert. This really helped me develop my skills and I am indebted to them for all their assistance and support.

"The site at Hazelmere is all built and sold, and all the buyers have moved into their new homes, so I will be moving to Partridge Walk in Stafford later this month. I am very ambitious and want to be as good as I can be at this job and claim my own Seal of Excellence Awards."

Albert Hassall, now senior site manager at Vistry's Bollin Grange development in Macclesfield, said: "I was senior site manager at Hazelmere when Sam was hired as a teenager straight from college. It was obvious right from the start that he had a real passion and feel for the job as he was always very attentive, ready to ask questions and eager to learn. 

"Sam has an incredibly positive attitude, and it was a pleasure to watch as he took on more information day by day when we worked in the same team on site in Haslington. He is still a young man, but he has great future with Vistry. He has impressed me so much I firmly believe that, in 10 years' time, he will be a director."

Vistry includes Bovis Homes and Linden Homes, who have sites like Bollin Grange in Lyme Green, Macclesfield.

Vistry also runs the brand Countryside Homes. For more information about careers at Vistry see vistrygroup.co.uk.