A HOUSEBUILDER has officially launched a scheme to deliver hundreds of jobs for ex-forces staff.

Persimmon, based in York, is retraining former military personnel to work on its sites.

Bosses say they hope to create up to 500 posts a year.

As exclusively revealed by The Northern Echo earlier this month, the Combat to Construction programme is being supported by Darlington training provider Nordic Focus Training Group.

It has already seen scores of people sign up for courses to take on roles such as bricklayers and joiners, with some now working on sites and new recruits joining the programme every four weeks.

Jeff Fairburn, Persimmon chief executive, said it wants to expand the scheme across the country, with aims to open training centres in London and the Midlands.

He said: “The response has been superb and the people who have joined us are over the moon with the opportunities available.

“We spent about nine months putting all of this together in order to ensure it was exactly right, which included taking on armed forces recruitment specialist Tommy Watson.

“We are now on to our second intake and we already have some workers on site, who are picking things up really quickly.”

Persimmon also has offices in Bowburn, near Durham City, and Newcastle.