Building a sustainable future for our business is a key priority for Pave Aways and our apprenticeship programme plays a key role in that.
This week is National Apprenticeship Week, a celebration to highlight the impact that apprenticeships have on people, their employers and the economy.
We currently have 13 apprentices – seven on site and six in office based roles. They include carpenters, administrative staff and a trainee surveyor. We are members of The 5% Club, a national movement for businesses that are committed to investing in new talent.
Our apprentice programme recruits annually and, throughout the year, we attend school and college career fairs to spread the word about work based training and jobs in the construction industry.
Aaron Evans joined Pave Aways when he was 17 as an apprentice carpenter. He had already completed a Level 1 diploma in carpentry and joinery and Level 2 diploma in site carpentry at Shrewsbury College.
Aaron worked on site for four years, completing his NVQ Level 2 in site carpentry as an apprentice. He is now based at our head office and is a trainee planner and plant manager.
“As well as earning while learning, an apprenticeship opens the door for future opportunities in construction,” said Aaron.
“As well as a my formal NVQ qualification it meant I gained my blue CSCS card that is required to work on most construction sites as a carpenter, as it proves my qualification. You also learn a lot more when you are working on a real building site – I gained so much personal construction experience that is knowledge I use every day and will need for many other future jobs.”
But once our apprentices are qualified, the training doesn’t stop! Last year our team invested more than 3,500 hours in skills and professional training.