Written by Nicola Gotzheim, head of learning and development
Looking back on this time last year; I am in awe of the way our apprentices, trainees and graduates have handled the past twelve months.
Last year’s National Apprenticeship Week was – Look Beyond, to dispel the myths that the main responsibility of an apprentice was to do menial jobs on site, such as making tea, which we covered in our 2020 blog post. After the year they’ve had – maybe it’s time for someone to make a cuppa for an apprentice.
This year’s National Apprenticeship Week theme – Build the Future, feels perfect. Our apprentices are positively building the UKs future on a daily basis, as they work on the education, healthcare and community facilities we need to meet the future demands of our local communities. Demands that we’ve seen change dramatically in the last twelve months.
Our apprentices have built skills immensely valuable to building their own futures. Handling change – working and studying remotely or embracing new technologies and enhancements in areas such as digital construction, communication – embracing new ways of communicating and also having to impart complex information when we’re not able to be as up close and personal.
One of the most important skills developed – resilience. For some of our apprentices that started with us two or three years ago, they have already seen a huge shift in what were newly learnt working practices.
When I see our apprentices putting new ways of working into practice, I feel immensely proud of their achievements.
Sharing their experience to encourage others
As well as their role on site and their academic studies, our apprentices and trainees have been involved in sharing their own apprenticeship experience with those in full time education. Their commitment to this over the past twelve months has been unwavering – online schools careers events and talks, podcasts and vlogs have all become the norm, some of which you can view here.
They have also been supporting local training initiatives that drive social value into the communities they live and work, inspiring future generations. Such as supporting as our online work experience programme, developed in partnership with Speakers for Schools.
We’re recruiting now – apprentices, graduate, year-out and summer placements
Trainees & ApprenticeshipsAmazing work team!
So, as well as using National Apprenticeship Week as an opportunity to welcome those into a career in construction, we want to use it as an opportunity to say thank you and well done to the 65 of apprentices, trainees and graduates who are with us now, tomorrow’s construction leaders playing their part to Build the Future.
If you’re someone looking to build your own future in the construction industry, hear from our apprentices – Max, Junaid, Hollie, Lucie and others as they reflect on their apprenticeship experience so far and why not consider joining them?. The deadline for applications is 31 March 2021.
