Under Construction: The Apprentice Experience
At a time of rising university fees and high youth unemployment the benefits of apprenticeships are obvious to both new entrants and experienced workers who are keen to get on. As well as the opportunity to ‘earn while you learn’, apprentices get hands on experience, learn from the best in the business and gain skills that will last them a lifetime.
For construction employers, apprentices are invaluable. They bring the business new ideas, enthusiasm, ambition and, according to a new City and Guilds report, a marked increase in productivity. One employer who has seen the huge benefits that apprentices offer is Morgan Sindall. The UK construction, infrastructure and design business is an ardent supporter of apprenticeship and is currently supporting in excess of 150 across its sites in the UK. Morgan Sindall is committed to nurturing talent from the onset, encourages its apprentices and offers them opportunities for progression within the company.
One of its Area Directors, Gavin Napper, who started out as a trainee quantity surveyor on the YTS training programme over 25 years ago, is the star of the third and final Apprentice Experience short films. The film was shot at the National Construction College’s main site at Bircham Newton, where Morgan Sindall is currently the main contractor on the construction of a new student accommodation block.
To show his support for apprenticeships and gain an understanding of what’s it’s like to be an apprentice today, Gavin rolled up his sleeves, put on the overalls and PPE and tried his hand at concreting a pathway. His instructor for the day was Chris Barrett, the Head of Vocational Services at the National Construction College.