Member Article

Barratt Homes celebrates 10th annual National Apprenticeship Week

Barratt Developments Yorkshire East, which includes both the Barratt and David Wilson Homes brands, has commenced its search for the next stars of the construction industry with the launch of its apprenticeship programme for 2017, which coincides with National Apprenticeship Week.

This year marks the 10th annual National Apprenticeship Week, falling from the 6th-10th March with Barratt Developments having taken on 48 apprentices over the past 10 years.

In 2017, the leading housebulder will take on six new apprentices as part of it’s ‘Future Talent’ Programmes, further demonstrating Barratt’s commitment to developing industry talent. Since the beginning of its scheme, Barratt has taken on apprentices in a range of disciplines ranging from bricklaying, joining, commercial, technical and buying.

The launch of the 2017 scheme strengthens Barratt’s reputation for excellent staff progression, with a number of departments in the company boasting senior team members that have risen from entry level positions. Barratt Developments Yorkshire East’s Construction Director, Steve Mattinson, has been with the business for 25 years and started out himself as an apprentice joiner. Having first hand experience of the apprenticeship scheme, Steve understands the importance of encouraging young people to work in construction as part of meeting the Government’s pledge to boost the housebuilding industry and build more homes.

Steve has worked his way up through the ranks taking on a number of different roles including site manager and construction manager, which has meant he has a breadth of on-hand experience that he can bring to his current role.

Steve commented: “We’re extremely proud of our apprenticeship scheme and the talented team members that have passed through it and stayed with the company over the years. It is brilliant we have taken on a total of 48 apprentices over the last 10 years, helping all of these people with their first step into their career in housebuilding. There is much discussion about the lack of skills within the industry and more definitely needs to be done, but we feel we’re playing a small but vital part in addressing this gap and setting up our staff for years of success.

“What I love about my job is being able to walk into a local supermarket and bump into people that you’ve built a house for. Not only this, but after you’ve finished a project being able to look back and see what you’ve achieved is really rewarding, especially when you’re building approximately 850 units a year! I’d advise any young person considering an apprenticeship in the construction industry to really consider the opportunities on offer.”

Barratt Developments’ Apprenticeship Programme has been recognised by industry bodies as the best of its kind in recent years including the CITB Apprenticeship Awards, the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers, and National Apprenticeship Service’s BT Macro Employer of the Year Award.

National Apprenticeship Week, which starts on 6th March 2017, was set up by the Government’s National Apprenticeship Service and is designed to celebrate apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy.

For more information on careers with Barratt Developments, please visit http://www.barrattfuturetalent.co.uk/

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Richard Savage .