In the Spring Statement, the chancellor announced new plans to help young people not in employment, education or training (NEET), including new apprenticeships for the construction sector. This move would help address the widening skills gap affecting the sector, and bring in an influx of skilled young people into the workforce.
For Senior Site Manager Kyle Taylor (38), construction was always solid career choice. He left school with minimal qualifications and trained as a scaffolder. After a few years on the job, he was keen to expand his experience, and began working as a trainee with several housebuilders, before joining award-winning developer City & Country to work on its heritage conversion of a Victorian Hospital in Wandsworth, The 1840.
Kyle comments: “I’ve done a stint with many developers – I wanted to learn best practice from all over the sector. As a result, I’ve done everything from new build to traditional design to timber – I tried everything offered to me just to build my experience. Coming from a scaffolding background, I knew there were a lot more opportunities on site.”
Having tried almost everything, Kyle fell out of love with the role. “There was a lot of pressure to deliver, and budgets were getting tighter across the board,” he adds. “I was going to leave the sector completely, but I got an interview with City & Country as a wild card option. Thank goodness I gave it a shot – I fell in love with The 1840 as soon as I came to site.”
Kyle continues: “I’ve spent my entire career in new build, I had no experience in heritage conversion or restoration, but it was what I needed to fall back in love with the job. I got to work on day one of the job and never looked back – there are so many secret treasures buried in our past, it’s a privilege to be a part of the team preserving this special place for the future.”
After just a year in the role, Kyle was recently promoted to Senior Site Manager, and has ambitions to progress even further. He says: “I wake up every day at 5am excited to come into work. Not many people can say that. Working for a smaller developer, there’s a real team ethos to the work – not just on site, but across other teams such as technical and commercial. We all really want to see each other succeed, and now I want to bring new starters on that same journey.
The 1840 is a conversion of a Grade II Listed Victorian hospital, named in recognition of the year of its original construction. Having been brought back to life, and sensitively converted for residential use by Kyle and the team, The 1840 comprises an impressive estate fronted by a Tudor-style brick composition building. The development overlooks 32 acres of green space, including beautifully landscaped gardens and common areas.
When asked about advice for the next generation of young people entering the workforce for the first time, Kyle concludes: “Don’t be afraid to take a risk. There’s nothing quite so rewarding as creating a beautiful home for people to live in – and when they are happy, you know you’ve done a good job. You will never regret taking a risk and trying something new, but you will always regret playing it safe.”
The next phase of apartments at The 1840 is expected to be ready for move-in from Summer 2026, with all 112 homes scheduled to be occupied by December 2027. Prices start at £475,000 for a one-bedroom apartment.
