Housebuilder Story Homes has welcomed seven apprentices as part of its ongoing commitment to investing in and developing young talent, with this year’s cohort including the developer’s first female bricklaying apprentice.
The new bricklaying, joinery and technical apprentices will work across Story Homes’ key regions of Cumbria and Scotland, the North West and the North East. The new recruits were selected at an apprentice assessment centre earlier this year, beating tough competition from a number of high quality applicants.
The recruitment of Chloe Bland, 22, is an important step for Story Homes in encouraging more females to apply for roles on its construction sites.
Chloe, who has completed her Level 1 qualification in Bricklaying, commented: “Bricklaying runs in my family so I have wanted to follow this career path for as long as I can remember. I studied Health and Social Care at college and I considered professions such as hairdressing, but I just couldn’t imagine working long-term in a role that didn’t involve being hands-on out on site.
“I find the concept of a bare plot of land being transformed into a beautiful home absolutely fascinating and I take a real sense of pride in being part of that journey. In future I hope I can progress my career with Story Homes, with the ultimate ambition of becoming a trainee site manager and even a site manager one day.”
Story Homes’ apprenticeship scheme forms a key part of its strategy to ensure it can achieve its future plans, as well as making a contribution towards closing the growing skills gap in the housebuilding industry.
The developer’s Aspire Apprenticeship Scheme, which launched in 2016, aims to recruit the brightest and most passionate school and college leavers from 16 years and upwards. Apprentices undertake a full development programme which includes working towards an NVQ Level 2 or Level 3, on-the-job training and the potential to move into trainee site management at the end of the programme.
Before beginning their roles on-site and in the office, the apprentices completed a five-day residential team building and induction programme, aimed at building their confidence and problem-solving skills from the outset.
Fred Story, chairman and CEO of Story Homes, said: “Our apprenticeship scheme has proved successful over the years, with a number of people recruited now in more senior roles. Bringing future talent into the business is very important to us so I am pleased to welcome our seven new apprentices. I look forward to seeing them working with their teams, developing their skills and contributing to our mission to design and build quality homes that people aspire to live in.”
