Redrow renews apprentice recruitment drive
A national housebuilder is renewing its apprentice recruitment drive this week in the run up to official school leavers’ day on June 24.
Many 15 and 16 year olds will be facing tough choices later this month when they decide whether to leave school and seek employment or stay in full time education. For those who want to learn a trade, while getting paid and gaining vital ‘on the job’ experience, an apprenticeship could be the answer.
Redrow Homes is recruiting 20 new apprentices this year and is calling on school leavers to apply now for placements.
Karen Jones, HR director for Redrow, says: “As we approach official school leavers’ day in England and Wales we are calling on teenagers to apply for one of our apprenticeships.
“Attracting the brightest candidates is the key to our company’s ongoing success and we are hopeful that young people looking to lay solid foundations for a career in the building trade will apply for these sought after positions.”
This year’s recruitment drive in England and Wales follows on from Redrow’s successful apprentice scheme in 2010, when the company took on 50 new trainees more than double the numbers for the previous two years combined.
The Redrow apprenticeship programme combines ‘on-the-job’ paid work and an NVQ completed over three years.
Apprentices are placed with an experienced and trusted sub-contractor, where they can learn the skills required to do their chosen job whilst working on Redrow developments and also going to college one day a week.
Applications are being sought for apprenticeships in the core trades of bricklaying and woodcraft, although applications for other trades including plumbing will be considered.
Applicants must be registered with CITB Construction Skills (CSkills), the construction industry’s training board, which can be done via a link on Redrow’s careers website: redrowplc.co.uk/Careers-And-Recruitment/Apprentices
Candidates are asked to take and pass the CSkills Skills Learning Exercise (SLE) in order to be considered for an apprenticeship. The SLE tests applicants on their understanding of practical information they are likely to require on a building site, such as measurements and drawings, etc.
Shortlisted candidates will then be interviewed with the successful ones commencing their apprenticeship in September 2011.
Redrow has also offered positions to six Graduate Trainees for September this year and has begun the recruitment process for a new intake of under-graduate one-year work placements.