Apprenticeship case studies from Redrow Homes

April 16, 2019 / Keith Osborne
Apprenticeship case studies from Redrow Homes

The apprenticeship schemes at Redrow provide young people, as well as those looking to make a career change, the opportunity to kick-start a successful career in a skilled trade, administration, or a technical or commercial role, through on the job training and classroom learning.

Redrow is a member of the 5% Club, a commitment to having apprentices, graduates and trainees make up at least 5% of the workforce in the next five years. Currently, however, Redrow goes beyond this with apprentices currently representing over 12% of the total workforce, working towards qualifications through on the job training and classroom learning.

Redrow has excellent retention rates. After the scheme is complete, typically 5% of apprentices remain with Redrow, and 85% are employed within its supply chain. In 2018, Redrow also rolled out workshops to support those apprentices who wish to become self-employed. All staff and apprentices have the opportunity to study additional qualifications, such as health and safety certificates.

Last year, Redrow released its second annual apprenticeship report, Building Better Apprenticeships which identified the opportunities and challenges that exist for UK apprenticeships. A canvass of 2,000 parents, 15- to 21-year-olds, and 167 Redrow apprentices brought to light positive shifts in the perceptions of the qualification as well as barriers that remain in place, including the current apprenticeship tuition of maths and English.

Redrow has been named as a Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer for the last five years, and this year Redrow held its first ever National Apprenticeship Awards to celebrate excellence among apprentices.

Here we look at three of Redrow’s current apprenticeship team.

David McGown

David McGown has been working as a plumbing apprentice at Redrow for almost two years and is based at the housebuilder’s flagship North London scheme, Colindale Gardens.

Reflecting on his time at Redrow, David said: “Choosing to work full-time in construction is the best decision I could have made. Working as an apprentice at Redrow means I’m able to earn a salary whilst learning my trade, and I don’t think I would have gained the same experience or learnt as much as I have if I had stayed in the classroom.

“In the future, I would love to be self-employed and own my own plumbing business. When I told my mentors at Redrow my plans they sent me details of courses they are running on being self-employed over the next couple of months, which I think will help me out with learning more about the business side of owning your own company.”

Rosie Cameron

Rosie Cameron has been an employee at Redrow for just over four years and is playing a pivotal role in reversing the stigma surrounding gender stereotypes in manual labour careers. After completing a business administration apprenticeship with Redrow, Rosie took part in Redrow’s graduate scheme which allowed her to rotate around various departments within the company before choosing to gain a more intense experience working within sales and construction.

Rosie said: “I was really keen to pursue a career in construction and work towards changing the perception that construction is a male-dominated trade. Young girls should not be afraid of pursuing a career in this field. I see more and more female electricians and plumbers on site which is really positive. There are so many opportunities with Redrow and it’s great to see this increasing number of women.

“The most exciting part of the job is that every day there is something new to learn, and I am really looking forward to gaining new skills and being able to progress my career with Redrow.”

Callum Cracknell

Redrow apprentice, 20-year-old Callum Cracknell, is three years into his electrical apprenticeship at Redrow. A year into his A-Levels, Callum worked out that the classroom route to a career wasn’t the right decision for him. Callum commented: “Whilst I was doing my A-Levels, I realised that an office job would never suit me. My dad mentioned to me about the possibility of an apprenticeship and introduced me to JTL – the training provider website. I’ve always been good with my hands and very practical, so I thought my Dad might be right and an apprenticeship would be a good idea for me.

“I joined Redrow three years ago as an electrical apprentice and haven’t looked back since. Redrow has really helped me excel in my trade. Previously, I wasn’t a very confident person, but the team here at Redrow have instilled a new sense of confidence within me, a confidence that has helped me grow within myself and my profession.”

To find out more about Redrow’s apprenticeship scheme, and other career options available at Redrow please visit www.redrowcareers.co.uk and include ‘Show House Jobs’ in your correspondence.

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