Member Article

Laying the foundations of a career in construction

Young people leaving school this summer could find themselves laying the foundations for a successful career in the construction industry, as a leading housebuilder offers apprenticeships in bricklaying and carpentry.

Persimmon Homes Midlands, which has its headquarters in Northampton, currently has three vacancies for youngsters looking to take their first steps towards a trade.

The posts signal a continuing investment in developing local skills by the company, which has already recruited more than 15 trainees and apprentices over the past year.

Managing director Richard Oldroyd said: “Despite the challenges thrown up by economic uncertainty over the past few years, Persimmon Homes Midlands continues to serve the region with quality new homes developments.

“We currently operate a dozen sites across Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Oxfordshire, with many more planned for the next 12 months.

“To ensure the ongoing success of the company, Persimmon Midlands has been recruiting bright young apprentices and trainees, keen to learn and succeed in the housebuilding industry – and we continue to recruit, ensuring we invest in the skills we need to grow the business.”

The new recruits will follow in the footsteps of the region’s young land buyer Daniel Pryor, who recently scooped a top national title – the Duncan Davidson Award – for his outstanding contribution to Persimmon Midlands.

Joining the Persimmon team recently are trainee sales advisors Rachel Owen and Jessica Johnson, along with trainee office administrator Sarah Halford, customer care trainee Josh Mallard, trainee buyer Ryan Coyle, trainee surveyors Sam Goodall and James Moore and graduate planners Oliver Thompson and Phil Etherton.

Apprentice bricklayers Alex Giacobbe and Andrew Underwood are joined on site by carpentry apprentices Zachary Heritage and Matthew Williams and learning how to operate and maintain safe, efficient construction projects are trainee/assistant site managers Oliver Collings, Matthew Pegley, Tom Britcliffe and Jamie Burrows.

All of the young employees have undergone a comprehensive induction and ongoing training programmes.

Richard said: “Excellent customer service is vital for Persimmon Homes, where sales advisors are often the first point of contact for prospective buyers.

“And we are completely committed to developing the next generation of trade professionals, ensuring valuable practical construction skills are passed on from our existing craftsmen to the builders of the future.

“We are excited to be joined by lots of fresh team members. It gives us a great boost to see so many new faces in the company – and reap the benefits of all their talents.

“I’m sure they will all love being part of Persimmon Homes and look forward to hearing how they are contributing to the success of the company.”

Information about apprentice vacancies can be found at www.persimmonjobs.com

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Caroline Garbett .