With National Apprenticeship Week being celebrated across the UK last week, Bloor Homes is proud to recognise its apprentices and the positive impact its apprentice scheme has to both the young tradespeople and the company.
The national house builder launched its own apprenticeship scheme in 2014. Today, 105 apprentices are employed across the company’s seven regions, in roles including carpentry and bricklaying.
With a commitment to tackling the skills shortage in the construction industry and the ambitious house building targets set out by the government, Bloor Homes acknowledges that attracting new talent to the sector has never been more important.
Andrew Marns of Bloor Homes said: “If we are to achieve the Government’s ambitious housebuilding targets, we must address the skills shortage that’s facing our industry.
“The number of jobs in construction is likely to increase so we need to invest in our workforce and attract and retain new talent to the sector. Apprenticeships are a valuable route to develop new talent and build the workforce of the future and we are proud to be providing places for 105 apprentices across the country.”
Bloor Homes’ apprentices split their time between working on the company’s developments gaining valuable hands-on training and experience, with attending their local college. The apprentices are a vital part of the on-site teams, learning their trade under the watchful supervision of apprentice masters.
A unique approach in the industry, Bloor Homes’ apprentices are mentored by a team of 17 apprentice masters, whose role it is to oversee their recruits and get the best from them.
The apprentice master’s scheme is unparalleled in the housebuilding industry. Solely overseeing the apprentices means they have more time to spend with them and offering additional support when they need it.
Over the course of their three-year programmes, the apprentices learn their trade, before finally graduating at the company’s annual graduation ceremony. Many of the apprentices continue their careers with Bloor Homes, either in their chosen trade or embarking on its site management trainee scheme.
Bloor Homes is also a proud supporter of women in construction, with a number of female employees in senior positions across the company, as well as two female bricklaying apprentices at sites in its Southern and Western regions.
Andrew continued: “For far too long, housebuilding has been seen as a male-only domain and this has severely restricted the number of women prepared to consider a career in the sector. As a result, a huge amount of potential housebuilding talent is being lost to the industry.
“We hope that by highlighting the jobs that women are doing at Bloor Homes we can break down the barriers preventing them for entering the industry and inspire others to consider construction as a viable and worthwhile career option.”
