Apprentices and Work Experience

Many of our loyal and long standing workforce joined our team as apprentices and work experience placements.

It is a practice that we hold in high regard and will always seek to augment the opportunity that exists on many of our construction and infrastructure projects to maximise the use of local labour.

We offer a wide range of apprenticeships to train and develop the future work force. Plus, we actively encourage youths to take part in our work placement schemes to give them a taste of the type of careers they could have once they leave school or college.

Case study: Local recruitment drive

Name: Ryan

Trade: Joiner

Ryan joined JCL following a local recruitment drive we had within East Manchester to try and encourage out of work youths from the locality to back into work. Ryan was successful at interview and was keen to learn joinery. We enrolled him with a local training provider and supported him through his NVQ level 2. Ryan was employed for the duration of the project.

Case Study: Local recruitment drive

Name: Lee

Trade: Plasterer

Lee joined Jamieson Contracting following a local recruitment drive which we undertook as a result of being awarded a joint partnership venture with EHPL to install kitchens and bathrooms. Lee was taken on by Jamieson Contracting to aid in the refurbishment of the scheme but was soon identified for further training. After expressing an interest in plastering Lee went on to complete his NVQ Level 3. Lee lives in one the properties owned by EHPL and was able to help us with local knowledge of the area and has a great rapport with tenants. Lee has now set up on his own and we now employ him on a sub-contract basis on projects. His brother Anthony has since joined the company and has been with Jamieson Contracting for over 2 years and is following in his footsteps!

Many of the people we employ will be neighbours and friends of the customer’s tenants and can alleviate any fears they may have about the works.

Jamieson Contracting also works closely with schools in the area to provide work placements for students. We have found that working with young people and encouraging them into the industry is very rewarding and Director Andy Jamieson is on the Construction Council for the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce. The GTA (group training association) is the pool of apprentices that we employ from which was mentioned previously in the document. Apprenticeships and the training of young people is a core belief of Jamieson Contracting. When we receive the contract we will look to recruit the maximum number of apprentices that we can. We also look to our supply chain and try and set them targets to recruit local apprentices. Much of our current work force is made up from past apprentices. We also offer work placement to learners on further education courses on professional construction courses.

Jamieson Contracting also builds relationships with local schools and we have taken part in careers talks and offered work experience places to school students. We often take on work experience placements at different levels All Hallows (RC School) in Salford is one of our feeders. One of our proudest success stories came out of such an arrangement.

Case Study: Work Experience Placement

Name: Kenny

Trade: Joiner

Kenny first came to Jamieson Contracting on work experience placement. His co-workers found him to be enthusiastic to be in the construction environment but it was clear he was less so regarding schooling.

After consideration the school decided Kenny might be better placed to gain more practical skills and so agreed with us and a local training provider that he could work 3 days a week, attend school one day a week to study core subjects and attend college 1 day a week to gain his NVQ qualification in joinery.

This arrangement seems to be working well as Kenny is now well on his way with his NVQ level 2 joinery and has even been nominated as apprentice of the year through the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce.