Get apprenticeships right and the rewards are incredible

As I type this I am doing something many of you may think is strange.

I have had a member of my team move on to pastures new to further their career, but instead of advertising for a new tradesperson I have asked to downgrade the position to an apprentice role.

This will allow me to train someone from the basics up and leaves a clear career path to progress the position back up to a qualified tradesperson level. “Why?” some of you may ask.

I have managed my team for many years now and conducting interviews to grow it formed a big part of that.

The quality of applicants was not to the standard I would expect and I found it quite alarming. I feel this is a sign of the current skills shortage we are facing, with Construction Industry Training Board statistics showing that between 2015 and 2019 we need 224,000 new construction workers. Now that’s a lot by anyone’s standards.

I was an apprentice myself and have successfully worked my way up through the housing industry over the past 11 years.

The apprenticeship I undertook gave me some of the key skills I still use to this day and the irony is that I now manage the tradesperson who taught me.

Training an apprentice needs commitment from the employer as well as the individual, but get this right and the reward is something quite incredible.

It gives you as an employer the chance to instil into them the values and behaviours you expect while pairing them with some of the best tradespeople you have to ensure the quality of work is to the standard you expect.

We all think of an apprentice as being a young person fresh from school, and this is by far the most common type.

However, over the past couple of years I have chosen to focus on mature apprentices which is an area not many businesses’ focus on, namely ex-Armed Forces personnel.

Upon completion of their service they have the option to retrain and learn new skills ready to move back into civilian life.

This has really worked as they bring a wealth of experience with them such as team-building, problem-solving and hands-on skills.

More than a third of my team were apprentices within the business and they are now some of the best tradespeople I have, extremely reliable and have long-standing careers within The Hyde Group.

“I have chosen to focus on mature apprentices.”

On top of that, a third of my team are ex-Armed Forces. This I feel is testament to why apprenticeships are such a good option and ultimately value for money as you get the right person doing the right job to the ability you expect.

We are all trying to turn this housing crisis around and building more houses will form an integral part of this, so having the right workforce is essential.

It doesn’t matter how big or small a business you are, if you can train one apprentice or 10, we all need to play our part. Even those that cannot offer an apprenticeship position can help.

A lot of individuals are now paying to train themselves, be it at evening classes or one day a week.

However, on-the-job training is still essential to help complete the qualifications. This can be done in the form of work experience which is un-paid but allows you as a business to still impart skills and knowledge they would have otherwise not received, and allows them to complete their training.

Chris Irons, gas production team leader, The Hyde Group, and Rising Stars finalist 2016