Member Article

Barratt Homes introduces 80 new apprentices across Yorkshire

Barratt Homes has expanded its recruitment programme over the next three years for graduates so that 80 will be employed across Yorkshire alone.

It aims to increase trainees to 1,100 nationwide, in addition to the 600 already recruited.

The step up in employment follows an increase in the number of NHBC housing starts for the Group in 2013 up 37% over the previous year, to around 16,000. This compares with housing starts of just 8,400 in 2009 at the depths of the recession.

The number of staff, including subcontractors, on Barratt’s sites in December 2013 was almost 18,000.

In the past year the Group has increased the rate of sales on its sites by around 40%, as it works to deliver on its commitment to build 45,000 homes in the next three years to help meet Britain’s housing needs.

The growth in Barratt’s output is also creating jobs throughout its supply chain as the Group has taken steps to secure its supply arrangements with leading building material companies for the next 12 months.

Mark Clare, Barratt Group chief executive

Mark Clare, Barratt’s Group chief executive said: “We are delighted that our growth has enabled us to create so many opportunities for skilled people in our business.

“Britain badly needs more new homes and Barratt is playing its part to build them.

“The employment opportunities we are creating and the investment in skills we are providing will help continue to drive the recovery in the housing sector and the economy as a whole.”

The Barratt initiatives come after the Construction Industry Training Board 2013 report found that the construction industry haslost 350,000 employees since 2008 and now requires 182,000 additional construction jobs from 2014-2018 as output starts to increase beyond just the housing sector.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .