Persimmon Homes inspire future apprentices at Erdington Skills Centre
Students at BMet’s Erdington Skills Centre were visited by representatives from local building firm, Persimmon Homes, to talk about potential apprenticeships with their company.
Construction Director, Trevor Brooks-Jones spoke to students about brickwork and carpentry careers as part of the recent National Apprenticeship Week.
Students got a complete overview of the benefits of working with Persimmon Homes and asked questions regarding wages, specific skills and future job prospects.
Trevor Brooks-Jones said, “Persimmon Homes realise that apprenticeships are vital to encourage youngsters into the industry and it is important to introduce them to the rewarding careers on offer.
“We are keen to offer apprenticeships to people of any age or gender, providing they have the necessary skills and are committed to putting in the hard work needed to become a success.
“We love to see young people thriving in these roles and there is a good learning curve when you are spending day-to-day on site.”
Persimmon Homes’ current apprentice, Tom Johnson also chatted with students about what they could expect if they are successful in obtaining an apprenticeship.
Tom Johnson said, “For the first six months, you are closely observed by your site manager, which is really important to help understand the basics of working on site. After that you are given more independence and are building your own stuff from scratch which is immensely rewarding.”
Persimmon Homes provide all the necessary tools for a new bricklayer or carpenter and give quarterly reviews to monitor the progress of staff.
Trevor continued: “Many apprentices have since progressed to managerial roles and found the time spent on site invaluable for their future career.
“I am proof that success can be made from starting at the bottom, as I left school with O levels and furthered by career by working hard through night classes and developed the job specific skills needed to become a success.
“The current rising house market means there is no better time to start and I look forward to speaking to again to those students as apprenticeship applicants and seeing their work for myself.”
Persimmon Homes currently has local sites across Birmingham and Coventry and builds around 14,500 new homes nationwide a year.