Bloor Homes recently welcomed a first group of 11 carpentry students from the Eastern Education Group (part of West Suffolk College) to its Thurston Grove development to experience how carpenters operate within a live building site.
Site manager Matthew Thurston, who started his career as a carpenter, and assistant site manager John Winter, introduced the guests to the teaching rigs used by the company, then gave them a full tour of the site, including the opportunity to view plots at different stages.
The students also had the opportunity to talk to Bloor Homes’ current carpentry apprentices and ask questions of the developer’s dedicated carpentry and brickwork apprentice masters – Andy Scripps and Ray Amos – about working on site and the housebuilder’s apprenticeship scheme.
Thurston said: “This was a really good opportunity for the students to experience what it’s like to work on a live development and to meet and spend time with our current carpentry apprentices who showed them how they work practically in various applications.
“It was great to see the engagement between the students and our apprentices; there were lots of questions about construction practices, as well as our apprenticeship schemes.”
Unlike typical apprenticeships where students are placed with a carpenter or bricklayer and attend college once a week, Bloor Homes provides dedicated training under the guidance of experienced apprentice masters. Scripps and Amos have more than 70 years of combined experience working for the company, and 22 years of combined experience of working with apprentices.
The Thurston Grove development is one of the developer’s training hubs across the country where young construction professionals can train and qualify whilst gaining valuable, hands-on experience. The aim is to encourage talent into the industry and futureproof its workforce in and around Bury St Edmunds. Bloor’s training has been extremely successful, with many young professionals going on to work within site management, for local sub-contractors or even starting up their own businesses.
From day one, new apprentices work on a live development alongside other apprentices who support each other and learn together. Bloor Homes also provides new apprentices with tools so they are not having to self-fund them and even pays for travel to and from site.
Scripps commented: “It was really good to see our current carpentry apprentices, many of whom were in the same shoes as these young students not so long ago, showing our visitors how they work practically in roof and internal applications, and engaging with them.”
Gavin Featherstone, carpentry lecturer at Eastern Education Group said: “Thank you to Bloor Homes for such an interesting and informative session for our students. The visit was really well structured and having the opportunity to speak with key people within the site and training teams, as well as the current apprentices, was invaluable. The whole experience really brought everything that they are learning in college to life.”
