Redrow expands annual apprenticeship drive
Redrow Homes has launched its annual apprenticeship recruitment drive targeting school leavers and college students. Human resources director for the firm, Karen Jones, said it had expanded its apprenticeship offering over the past 12 months, adding plastering, painting and decorating, groundworks, and customer care to its established line-up of apprenticeships in carpentry, plumbing, electrics, and bricklaying. Trainees make up around 15% of Redrow's direct workforce, a ratio it aims to maintain as the number of direct employees continues to grow.

To coincide with National Apprenticeship Week, running from 14-18 March, Redrow is launching its annual apprentice recruitment drive.

Representatives from the national housebuilder will be visiting schools and colleges up and down the country to talk to young people about the value of trade apprenticeships as a route into successful careers in construction.

Karen Jones, HR Director for Redrow Homes, said: “We’re building more homes every year, which means we’re able to offer more young people a training role on our building sites, where they will be mentored by experienced professionals and can earn while they work towards an NVQ qualification.

“Apprenticeships are a great way to learn new skills that will last a lifetime – skills that are in high demand in our industry. As we look to address the shortfall in the number of new homes being built, we must endeavour to create a skilled workforce to sustain the rate of construction that is needed. Apprenticeships play a vital role in that as the trainees of today are the site managers and contractors of tomorrow.

“Over the past 12 months our apprenticeship offering has expanded. We’ve added to our range of trade apprenticeships so we now offer roles in plastering, painting and decorating, groundworks and customer care, in addition to carpentry, plumbing, electrics and bricklaying.”

For the third year running Redrow has been recognised as a Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer and received the title of Great Britain Large Employer of the Year at the 2015 CITB Apprenticeship Awards.

Trainees make up around 15 per cent of Redrow’s direct employees and the company is looking to maintain that as its workforce grows.

With trade apprenticeships offered across its building sites in England and Wales, Redrow’s programmes combine paid on the job training with the opportunity to gain a recognised qualification, usually by attending college one day per week to gain an NVQ.

Redrow also runs office-based apprentice programmes for business administration, design and technical and commercial roles and has a great track record of promoting apprentices to more senior positions.

In addition, the company nurtures young talent through under-graduate work placements, post-graduate training and other vocational training.

www.redrowcareers.co.uk/apprentices.