Apprenticeship scheme continues to be a success
LOUGHBOROUGH housebuilder William Davis Homes has a long-standing tradition of providing apprenticeship training and has been running its own Apprentice of the Year award since the 1970s.
Proud of the longevity of scheme, the company is also extremely pleased to have no less than 19 former ‘Apprentice of the Year’ winners working for the business, including Kevin Smith, a plumber, who won the title in 1974 and Ashley Rudd, an electrician, who won the award last year.
This year around 90 people, including apprentices, their mentors, colleagues, family members and friends, gathered at the company’s HQ in Loughborough to celebrate the ongoing success of the scheme and the achievements of two individuals in particular; Jack Jordan, a third year apprentice joiner, who won the coveted Apprentice of the Year title and runner up Joe Gardner, a third year apprentice bricklayer .
Jack, whose grandfather was a carpenter and whose father is also in the construction industry, was absolutely delighted to be chosen as Apprentice of the Year and says he is putting his prize money towards a new car.
Jack’s mentors are Graham Clark, Hudson Hollingworth and Chris Dakin.
Runner-up Joe Gardner says he particularly enjoys working on feature brickwork such as arches and his mentoring bricklaying gang are Luke Turner, Aaron Joyce and labourer Sam Walters. Joe is also putting his prize money towards a new car.
Guy Higgins, William Davis managing director, who hosted the event, said: “We’re proud to be able to provide quality apprenticeships for young people coming into construction and are grateful to our inhouse trainers and mentors for their commitment to the next generation of tradespeople.
“The fact that so many choose to stay with the company after serving their time demonstrates that completing an apprenticeship can provide a long and fulfilling career.”