Nine new trainees have joined William Davis Homes’ award-winning apprenticeship scheme – bringing their total number of apprentices to 38. This year the housebuilder has recruited its first ever scaffolding apprentices, along with four bricklayers and three joiners.
Two of the apprentices were actively recruited from the Nottingham area to work on the developer’s sites at Ruddington and Radcliffe-on-Trent, as part of a commitment to create local jobs. The remaining seven come from schools and colleges in Leicestershire.
Gary Long, William Davis Homes’ apprenticeship manager, said: “We are more than delighted to be able to take on nine new apprentices this year after the pandemic forced us to put the scheme on hold last year. Apprenticeships are vital to our business, ensuring we continue to develop new talent and have the right skills mix available to us to continue to build quality homes.
“This year we have introduced an apprenticeship in scaffolding as, although we have plenty of experienced scaffolders, we don’t have many just starting out and learning the trade. It’s important for us to also look at what skills we need in the future and invest in those trades now.
“I wish all our new apprentices the best of luck as they start their careers with us. And, as the vast majority of our apprentices remain with us after they graduate, we hope they will be working with us for many years to come.”
William Davis Homes’ apprenticeship scheme has been recognised through numerous awards, including a National Housebuilder Award, a Leicester Mercury Award, CITB Apprenticeship Awards and East Midlands Business Insider Awards. The company’s apprenticeship scheme was also recognised at this year’s East Midlands Property Dinner.
The scheme was put on hold during 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the first time since its inception in the 1960s. A large proportion of the current workforce started as William Davis Homes apprentices.
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