Vernon Coaker, MP for the Gedling constituency, has recently visited Barratt Homes’ Highlands development in Arnold to meet an apprentice who is learning vital construction skills and a former apprentice who has worked his way up through the company.
Mr Coaker took a tour of Highlands, which when complete will provide 49 three and four bedroom quality homes, with local apprentice Bricklayer Jonathan Hendren from Bilborough, Senior Contracts Manager, Mike Attfield, who began his career as an apprentice Joiner in 1986, and Managing Director, John Dillon.
Mike and Jonathan were able to give Mr Coaker a taste of life on a building site to help demonstrate how development projects lead to training opportunities for local young people.
Mr Coaker said: “This was a fascinating chance to listen to workers of varying experience in the housing industry, and also to learn about the latest advances in building new homes. Barratt Homes’ apprentices are learning the skills that we need to help Arnold grow.”
Recently named a Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer at the National Apprenticeship Awards, Barratt Homes has a record of recruiting young people to the business, and in the past year alone has created 3,000 new jobs nationwide.
And thanks to recent growth in the home building industry, Barratt Homes’ North Midlands division is looking to employ at least 10 new apprentices by September this year as part of Barratt Developments’ national recruitment pledge to take on 1,100 new trainees over the next three years.
Jonathan Hendren (19), an apprentice Bricklayer from Bilborough studying an NVQ Level 1 in Bricklaying at New College Nottingham, said: “It’s great that I’m having the chance to learn a trade here – fingers crossed this will lead to a future career for me.”
Mike Attfield, Senior Contracts Manager at Barratt Homes North Midlands, said: “I learned a lot as an apprentice in the 1980s which has stood me in good stead in this business, and our new generation of apprentices will be able to build the foundations of good careers for themselves here too.”
John Dillon, Managing Director for Barratt Homes North Midlands, added: “We endeavour to recruit trade apprentices at all our developments and firmly believe that our role isn’t just to build new homes but to provide employment and establish strong communities as well.”
