A pair of graduates have finished a three-month work placement with a Welsh housebuilder that proved transformative for their career prospects.
Ella Griffiths and Lewys Evans were hosted by Bellway Wales through the Change 100 initiative, which pairs higher education students and recent alumni with disabilities or enduring health conditions with employers committed to inclusive recruitment.
The programme is administered by Ability Pathways Community Interest Company, an organisation dedicated to helping disabled individuals secure paid professional experience.
Griffiths, who hails from Cardiff and is 22 years old, holds a philosophy, politics and economics qualification from Queen’s University Belfast.
She lives with dyslexia and dyspraxia.
According to her, the placement proved thoroughly rewarding, with colleagues offering consistent encouragement throughout.
She described gaining valuable insight into how various departments operate collaboratively.
Her particular interest lay in working alongside quantity surveyors, observing how figures on documents materialise into actual residential properties.
Her time with the company has been lengthened by an additional quarter.
Evans, also 22 and from Merthyr Tydfil, recently completed his studies at the University of South Wales, where he earned an English and creative writing degree.
He has dyslexia and autism.
He reported finding the experience deeply fulfilling and expressed that he had made meaningful contributions during his tenure.
The workforce received particular praise, with Evans describing them as exceptionally helpful.
He noted that adjustments for his conditions were consistently implemented, whether through deliberate pacing of conversations or repetition of information.
The workplace atmosphere was characterised as highly positive.
Evans indicated the opportunity had reshaped his perspective on professional environments and provided genuine exposure to office-based work.
Daniel Shone, who serves as head of sales at Bellway Wales, commented on the company’s participation in the initiative.
He highlighted Bellway’s dedication to fostering an inclusive culture and expanding workforce diversity by drawing from broad candidate pools.
Both Griffiths and Evans were described as bringing renewed energy to the operation, with their presence warmly welcomed throughout the organisation.
Bellway Wales maintains active development sites spanning South Wales, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire.