The Benefit of Shared Apprenticeships

We have always believed in apprenticeships as a route to bring young talent into the construction industry. Since we started in business we estimate that over 100 have completed their training with Kimpton and we currently have 15 craft and technical apprentices training with us.

On two projects we’re working on in Lewisham and Birmingham our client, Watkin Jones Group were tasked with delivering a number of apprenticeship placements via a section 106 planning condition. These placements must be of a minimum period, typically 6 to 12 months. Watkin Jones turned to Kimpton to help them meet this obligation because as the M&E contractor, we usually have one of the longest programmes and our training is delivered as a formal apprenticeship. Even so, we are rarely on site for more than two years and therefore, a conventional apprenticeship of four years would not work for local young people looking for work in their own area.

The Shared Apprenticeship Scheme changes this. It was set up to help employers who want to support the development of skills, while working on regional contracts, but are not in a position to offer a full-term apprenticeship, and who wish to be involved in training the future workforce. The shared apprentice scheme employs the apprentice for the duration of the four-year apprenticeship and then provide a series of placements with contractors working in the local area.

Using the Shared Apprenticeship provider, Evolve, we took on Ashley from Lewisham who worked on our Lewisham BTR scheme for twelve months. Ashley completed the last year of his apprenticeship with us and completed his qualification. He has now gone on to get a great job with British Gas. The shared apprenticeship programme allowed him to train locally with large regional employers who were working in his area, complete his qualification and then get a great job, local to home.

For construction to have an impact on a region, schemes like this are incredibly valuable to the long-term health and skills of the local economy.

In Birmingham, we worked with two apprentices on our Makers Yard BTR scheme. Managed by the provider Evolve. One used the experience to decide that the industry wasn’t for him, but the other is a real success story.

When we first started working with Ajay, he was quite anxious and nervous about working on site but, with support from Evolve and the team at Kimpton, his confidence grew to become a really valuable member of our site team. We were so impressed by his enthusiasm and work ethic, that we took him on ourselves in a full-time position within our team.

Ajay will continue to live in Birmingham working with our specialist Residential Team, who deliver M&E packages on large-scale residential PRS, BTR and PBSA schemes across the UK.

Speaking to Ajay, he was rightly proud of what he’d achieved through his apprenticeship. “I worked on Makers Yard with Kimpton and loved it. I worked with the senior team and all the subbies who worked on site too. It gave me a great insight into what each of the jobs were and which ones suited me best.

With the contract finished I was really pleased to be offered a full-time role with Kimpton and looking forward to working on the next site, which is another huge BTR scheme in Cardiff.”

Through the Section 106 condition the planners, under instruction from the local authorities, insist that local employment for young people is created as part of the construction work going on within their city. It encourages Contractors and Developers to consider using local companies that are already delivering local apprenticeships in their supply chain which can increase local economic spend and support a circular economy.

Kimpton believe that it’s a condition that should be attached to every significant construction project in any city. For any construction project or Regeneration scheme to leave a real and lasting legacy, it needs to bring the local community along with it, improving local skills and creating long-term sustainable, well-paid jobs.