St James and St William Production Academy
Client Case Study - The Production Academy
Client: St James & St William (part of The Berkeley Group Plc)
Delivery Partner: Blayze Group
Sector: Residential Development
Programme Inception: 2009
Mandate: Build future ready talent by addressing sector wide skills shortages in residential development through structured, culture driven recruitment process and onboarding
Client Challenge
With a critical shortage of skilled professionals in the residential development sector, St James and St William required a solution that would:
- Attract high calibre individuals from outside traditional residential construction backgrounds
- Embed cultural alignment to the organisation's values and ethos
- Provide a sustainable pipeline of talent capable of progressing into leadership roles
Programme Goals and Outcomes
- Accelerated Performance – Enhance capabilities through focused personal development, training, coaching to meet and exceed the demands of your role to accelerate your readiness for the next role.
- Increased Organisational Reach – Masterclasses and mentoring bread down departmental silos as your knowledge and network are expanded across the business, discipline and projects.
- Enhanced Awareness – increased personal awareness to drive your personal and professional growth within your role and business.
The skill sets recruited include quantity surveying, technical/design management and site construction.
Client Testimonial
Blayze Group developed the Production Academy for St James and St William to identify high-calibre talent for our organisation in a short-skills market. The programme has been a huge success bringing in over 80 staff over 12 years who have now mostly progressed through the organisation into management and Director level roles. This programme is now our primary recruitment tool to meet our future hiring needs and success strategy. Finance Director, St James and St William
Participant Perspective
I would highly recommend the production academy. It’s helped a lot with my development. I wouldn’t have gained the skills I have, or been as good in my role, without the training and support from Blayze. The workshop sessions were really engaging they made me think beyond my current knowledge and perspective. The masterclass workshops were very good. I gained knowledge about other departments that I wouldn’t have usually, it makes you think about others more. The Production workshops provided great insights into other departments and how they operate. Quantity Surveyor 2024 cohort
Recruitment Methodology
The Production Academy entails a detailed, insight-led recruitment process to unlock a candidate’s skills and cultural fit to the organisation.
- Targeted headhunting from non-traditional organisations
- Structured task-based interviews
- Personality psychometrics to access cultural fit and leadership potential
- Evaluation of transferable skills critical to thriving in a high-performance culture
Each intake is further supported by a robust onboarding and development programme encompassing:
- Personal development planning
- Leadership and performance workshops
- Cross-functional masterclasses
- Mentoring and peer-to-peer learning
KEY STATISTICS
- 10 Academy programmes
- 110 placements
- 66 promotions
- 14 Senior Managers and Directors
- 97% annual retention
Conclusion
The Production Academy has become a benchmark for talent acquisition and development in the residential development sector. With outstanding results in retention, progression, and leadership development, the programme exemplifies the power of strategic, planned recruitment and cultural alignment.
Blayze Group is proud to collaborate with St James and St William on a programme that delivers measurable competitive advantage and plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of the built environment.