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Master plasterer on the Mark with housing bosses

A deaf student from Doncaster is causing a stir in the construction industry after impressing housing bosses with his plastering skills.

Mark Chettleburgh, who is currently studying a City & Guilds course in construction at the Doncaster College for the Deaf, has been making a name for himself as a master plasterer following work placements with St Leger Homes and, most recently, with Stevenage Homes in his hometown.

Mark, 20, received a glowing reference from St Leger, the Arm’s Length Management Organisation responsible for maintaining Doncaster’s 22,000 council homes, after completing a placement with the maintenance team.

And he returned to his hometown of Stevenage in Hertfordshire to work for two weeks with his local council in the Buildings Maintenance Operations (BMO) team.

Bosses from both companies expressed their desire to offer Mark an apprenticeship but he still has a year left of his course at the Deaf College.

Blaine Baumber, Training Co-ordinator at St Leger Homes, said: “Mark was a pleasure to work with from the first minute. He fitted in instantly with the team and his wonderful sense of humour kept everyone laughing.

“He was so eager in his work that if he finished a job he would actively find something else to do until the next job. The high standard of his work as well as his hunger to learn meant I moved quickly to offer him an apprenticeship when his college course finishes.

“Unfortunately for us, he intends to move back home to Stevenage when he graduates but our loss is most definitely somebody else’s gain. He’ll be an asset to whichever company employs him.”

Mark, who aims to graduate from Doncaster College for the Deaf in March 2008, communicates through British Sign Language and lip reading.

“The experience has been very good and I was able to call on it to help me at college. Blaine taught me a lot that I will be able to use when I graduate in March,” said Mark.

“I was really pleased that Blaine offered me an apprenticeship and if I wasn’t returning home to Stevenage, it would be the perfect job.”

Posted: Tue 12-Feb-2008 8:43AM

Doncaster student building bridges at home

A deaf Doncaster student has set his heart on a career in construction after building a strong reputation with his hometown council.

Dominic Haldane, from Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, is currently studying City and Guilds Construction at the Doncaster College for the Deaf and spent two weeks work experience at Three Rivers Construction, a division of the Three Rivers District Council in Rickmansworth, Herts, as part of the course.

Dominic put into practice the painting, plastering and labouring skills he’s been learning in Doncaster and he became an important part of the Three Rivers Construction team due to the high standard of his work.

Students at the Doncaster College for the Deaf are encouraged to experience work in their chosen industries or professions as part of their learning and placements are organised by a special employment liaison facility within the college.

Dominic, 18, said: “I really enjoyed working at Three Rivers. I like the job and the people were great too. I am in my final year in Doncaster and then if possible I’d love to try and get a permanent position with the company.

“All the skills I am learning at college were useful and the actual work experience has given me a good insight into what to expect when I graduate next year.”

Although Dominic is deaf communication with his workmates wasn’t a problem as they used writing and text messaging to get round it.

Dave Andrews, Dominic’s supervisor at Three Rivers Construction, said: “It was a pleasure having Dominic working with us. He has a lot of talent and was great to have around.

“I’m glad Dominic got a lot out of his time here because we learned a lot as well. It was the first time most of us had worked with a deaf person and it was good to see how quickly he settled in and became a valued member of the team.

“We will maintain our relationship with the Doncaster Deaf Trust and hopefully we can link-up again in the future.”

Posted: Tue 12-Feb-2008 8:42AM