Member Article

New apprentice cohort joins Salix Homes

A Salford housing provider has welcomed its latest intake of apprentices.

Salix Homes, which owns 8,500 homes across central Salford, has appointed nine apprentices in its environmental maintenance and 1st Response security teams after more than 150 people applied for the coveted roles.

The new recruits, who are all local people aged between 17 and 36, are the latest cohort of trainees to secure year-long apprenticeships as part of Salix Homes’ apprenticeship programme.

The apprenticeship programme, which is now in its third year, aims to help people out of work learn new skills and get on the career ladder.

Among the new apprentices, is Salix Homes tenant Paul Vella, who has joined the 1st Response security team.

Last year Paul was facing homelessness, but after seeking support from Salix Homes’ Supported Tenancies Team he’s got a new home in Eccles and has got his life back on track.

Paul said: “Last year I had a family breakdown and was just days away from becoming homeless. I was helped by the Supported Tenancies Team and they told me about the apprenticeship scheme.

“I’d been out of work for about six months and had been looking for a permanent job or training opportunity and this is just everything I wanted and I’m loving it. I’ve got a new home, a new job and it’s made such a huge difference to my life.”

At 27, Paul is one of the older recruits.

He added: “At my age, I didn’t really think an apprenticeship was an option, you think it’s just for people leaving school, but I’m proof that there are training opportunities out there whatever your age and it just goes to show that it’s never too late.”

Salix Homes is creating hundreds of new jobs and training opportunities over the coming years after tenants voted to transfer the ownership of their homes from Salford Council – a move that has unlocked £75m investment in homes and communities across the city over the next five years.

Sue Sutton, executive director of operations at Salix Homes, said: “We are very proud of our apprenticeship programme which exists to help people like Paul, living in our communities, create a better life for themselves.

“We had a record number of applicants for our apprenticeship positions this year and we are delighted to welcome our newest cohort who we are confident will not only gain valuable skills, experience and qualifications, but will also help us to develop a stronger workforce.

“Salix Homes is able to invest significantly in Salford thanks to tenants voting to transfer their homes from the council to us, so as part of that we are creating hundreds of new jobs and training opportunities for local people.”

The apprenticeships are run in conjunction with procurement consortium Procure Plus and all trainees are able to work towards gaining an NVQ in either horticulture or customer services as well as the security industry authority licence.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Hayley Collins .