We’ve been delighted to have Ollie Sidaway as part of the Genr8 team since December 2021, initially on a part-time basis before he undertook his full-time placement year with us.
As he prepares to return to Salford University to finish off his degree in Real Estate Development and Management, Ollie has been reflecting on his time at Genr8, what he’s learned, and what he’s going to take with him into his final year of study and beyond.
My three years at Genr8 have been really valuable, and have enabled me to get stuck into a whole range of projects and job roles. From preparing documents and taking minutes in meetings, to working on appraisals, I’ve been given lots of opportunities to get involved in both project and development management, which I can now take with me into my last year of uni.
Attending UKREiiF this year was a particular highlight and isn’t something that is often open to placement students. Meeting lots of people and attending panel talks gave me a great exposure to the wider industry. Working with different consultants throughout my time also opened my eyes to other sectors.
The project I’ve worked the most closely on has been Telford Station Quarter, and specifically the Build to Rent element. It is the first project I have seen all the way from RIBA Stage One up to start on site, which has really helped me to grow my understanding of the lifecycle of a project and all the challenges along the way to get the project on site.
My role in this project has been to assist the Project Manager and Development Manager with project governance, appraisals, and managing cashflow as well as being involved in the value engineering process. Most recently I have been coordinating the CGIs for marketing uses in press releases and on the site hoarding.
I’ve also been fortunate to get involved with the operational side of Smithfield Works. Although it launched before I started at Genr8, I have worked on gathering comparable evidence to ensure we are charging a competitive rate; I worked with the Development Manager to create the 2023/24 budget and forecast; I’ve taken minutes and actions for the Monthly Board Meeting; I’ve been involved with event planning for members and tenants; I’ve taken new customers on tours of the sites during the recent open day in July 2024.
On the Smithfield Estate as a whole, I assisted the Development Manager and Estate Manager with the 2023/24 estate service charge budget and also helped to arrange overnight security guards for the site 365 days a year. It’s a complex site, but it was a great way to see the full life cycle of development through to occupancy, and what’s involved with managing assets once they’re tenanted.
Alongside live projects, I’ve assisted on creating appraisals and visual documents of programmes, gateways and stakeholders for bids. I have really enjoyed this process as it has allowed me to gain understanding of how an idea becomes a concept and a concept becomes a project.
Genr8 also do a lot of voluntary work, and during my time on the team I’ve helped out at the Milner Royd Nature Reserve in Sowerby Bridge, helped with the Stoke City Centre Clean Up project with the BID, mentored a work experience student for a week alongside Matt, and got involved in the Regeneration Brainery weeks.
Being able to spend such an extended time as part of the Genr8 team has been incredible, and my full-time placement year in particular has helped bring context to my studies. Nothing can beat actually working on projects practically, and I hope that I can bring that experience into the final year of my degree. I’m really grateful to have had the opportunity, and hope the team will manage without my excellent brews and music choices!
We’ll definitely miss Ollie’s company, but wish him all the best for his final year of studies!
