Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Scheme motivating teenagers as they start on their career paths
New apprentices are being nurtured with the skills of experienced staff at one of Kent’s largest infrastructure firms
When Tom Scamp left Borden Grammar School two years ago he was unsure what he wanted to do with his life.
Today, the 19-year-old from Faversham is motivated about his future career as he trains to be a quantity surveyor on an apprenticeship with infrastructure firm FM Conway.
“When I first came out of school I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” said Mr Scamp, who finishes his apprenticeship in July having joined in 2015.
“I have a family member at FM Conway who got me some work experience and I really enjoyed it. I realised it was something I wanted to pursue.”
Mr Scamp’s apprenticeship sees him working on site with two qualified surveyors and buddied with a senior staff member nearing retirement age.
He said: “There is a nice blend of different ages and generations which increases your knowledge and understanding.”
He is trusted to carry out work on site.
“If there are any changes to the site works I liaise with the supervisor on site and put a price together which will then be reviewed by my manager,” he said. He has done so well, he picked up an award as the most promising apprentice at a ceremony held by the Civil Engineering Contractors Association last year.
It puzzles him why more young people do not choose an apprenticeship as the route to work.
He said: “We never really covered it at school. It was something completely new which I found really interesting.”
FM Conway has 52 apprentices in varying stages of training, equating to about 4% of its workforce.
Last year 14 young adults graduated from its apprenticeship programme. They have all taken up full-time roles at the business, which has its head office in Sev- enoaks, including in surfacing, street lighting and finance positions. It supports apprenticeships from level 2 to level 7, with courses ranging from two to four years and has just delivered its first degree-level apprenticeship.
HR manager Sarah Baker said: “We have got to make sure we are skilling people on the right level.”
Ms Baker believes the attitude towards apprenticeships has changed for the better but the company is going to great lengths to win hearts and minds.
She said: “Before apprenticeships were popular, people were encouraged to go to college or university rather than developing a skill. One of the things we have started to focus on this year is early participation. We do a lot of work with local schools with careers events and advice to raise the profile of the industry.
“There has been some research that it is in a child’s primary school years – where we don’t normally focus careers advice – where a lot of children start to form their views about what they will be interested in when they are older.”
The need to attract young people into apprenticeships is vital for companies like FM Conway, as the construction sector continues to address a lack of skilled workers.
Liz Garvey, head of HR, said: “The construction and highways industries are facing one of the worst skills shortages in living memory. It is vital that businesses do what they can to attract talented individuals and showcase the opportunities a career in infrastructure can offer for people at every stage of their professional development.”
Once a year all 50 apprentices at FM Conway get together for a graduation. Throughout the year, smaller groups will make at least three other visits around the business, which has an asphalt plant in Erith. The days out are very popular with its apprentices, including Mr Scamp.
“It makes you open your eyes,” he said. “Everyone at the company knows we recycle asphalt but seeing how it is done is brilliant. To go around the plant and hear from someone else’s experience gives you a bit of their knowledge which you carry forward.”