As National Apprenticeship Week 2023 takes place, GMI has appointed four apprentices to visit Leeds schools and Merit will expand their Northeast programme to meet demand for 7,900 more workers
As National Apprenticeship Week 2023 gets underway, a variety of training schemes and developments have been announced by the likes of GMI Construction Group and offsite specialist Merit.
Four GMI Construction Group apprentices will visit Leeds schools to highlight benefits of ‘earning while you learn’
Nathan Jones, Duncan Hallam, Archie Bean, and Max Kelly have joined Leeds City Council’s Apprenticeship Ambassador Programme and will visit schools across the city, speaking to students at career fairs, assemblies, and classroom advice sessions.
Working alongside Leeds Apprenticeship Hub, the four will help raise awareness of apprenticeships whilst giving impartial advice and guidance.
Leeds City Council has already provided full training to each of the four GMI apprentices for their ambassadorial roles, and they will now work alongside its employment and skills officers in addressing the shortfall in current and future construction skills within the city region.
Archie Bean, 21, from Wakefield, whose apprenticeship is in construction management, said: “We are looking forward to talking about our own positive experiences and hopefully inspire many others to consider a career in construction.”
GMI Construction is committed to advancing their workforce
GMI Construction Group, which is headquartered in the city, last year joined the 5% Club of employers who have placed more than 5% of their workforce in ‘earn as you learn’ positions. They offer apprenticeships in levels 2 to 6 in such disciplines as quantity surveying, technical, construction and the built environment.
Claire Preston, head of responsible business at GMI, said: “As a company we are committed to developing the workforce of the future and apprenticeships are a gateway to a range of opportunities for career progression.
“At GMI, we pay our apprentices the National Living Wage while they gain hands on experience and industry recognised qualifications. We are extremely proud that four of our apprentices have been chosen to represent the construction sector as part of the Apprenticeship Ambassador Programme.”
National Apprenticeship Week 2023 also sees Merit expand operations and places
Merit has announced its plans to double its apprenticeship targets in 2023, as part of its ongoing efforts to address future skills needs.
This follows the latest report from the Construction Skills Network (CSN) which predicts that an extra 7,900 workers will be needed in the North East from 2023 to 2027 to meet construction demand.
If projected growth is met, the construction workforce in the UK will remain around 2.67m.
Dating back to 2013, Merit’s apprenticeship programme has so far worked with nearly 60 local apprentices, all of which recieved a full time employment offer once completing the programme.
Merit plans to create a further 20 opportunities in its tenth year to help meet the business’ need for more skilled workers.
The Northeast business has already doubled its workforce in the last two years and recently announced a 4000m2 factory expansion at its Cramlington site, which is expected to add over 50 new jobs.
Ashley Cassap, people advisor at Merit, commented: “Merit’s apprenticeship programme plays an important role in the business’s continued growth and provides long-term career opportunities for young people in the Northeast across a variety of business areas including Pipefitting and Welding, Metal Fabrication, Electrical and Document Control. We are proud to support our community and it’s important that businesses like us create opportunities for young people, to nurture talent right from the very start.”
Merit works closely with local schools to support the apprentices from day one
She continues: “Our apprenticeship programme is aimed at helping young people achieve their full potential through continuous training and exposure to specialist skills. Merit provides apprentices with first-hand experience of working on a construction site – depending on their trade, they will typically carry out their first six months at college and then attend Merit’s factory with one day spent at college going forwards for the next four years.”
To help tackle the barriers to entry-level recruitment in the construction sector and close the large skills gap, Merit works closely with local schools including Ashington Academy, Bedlington Academy, Tyne North Training College and JTL Training College, raising the visibility of apprenticeships as a career pathway and promoting their wide-ranging benefits.
