National Apprenticeship Week has returned for its annual showcase of the opportunities available to those seeking an apprenticeship.
Eleven years before the annual event was first held, Midlands-based civil engineering and building contractor McPhillips launched its own apprenticeship scheme in 1996 that is still going strong to this day.
Over almost 27 years, the company has seen 157 young people successfully complete its apprenticeship programme.
Promotion and retention of young talent has also been strong with 22 per cent of the current workforce having previously been McPhillips apprentices.
Among them is Glen Rigby, who achieved no GCSEs above Grade D but thrived at McPhillips, completing a three-year apprenticeship at the National Construction College in Birmingham. After a short period on-site, he was promoted to Site Engineer, completing a three year part-time civil engineering HNC at Wolverhampton University.
Glen’s incredible rise saw him encouraged to become a Site Manager running sites up to £5million in value. Since 2018, he has been a Contracts Manager with responsibility for 127 personnel and over £35m of construction work.
He is by no means alone at McPhillips, who are members of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) Midlands – the representative body for companies who work day-to-day to deliver, upgrade, and maintain the country’s infrastructure.
Sean McCormick was aged just 16 when he joined as an apprentice in 2011. After being named Midlands Civil Engineering Training Group Apprentice of the Year in 2012, he completed the programme a year later and became a Groundworker.
As Sean’s confidence grew, he took up an opportunity to become a Site Engineer, which involved a further two years part-time study at Birmingham South & City College. This culminated in 2018, aged just 23, he became the youngest Site Manager in McPhillips’ 55-year history.
In the past five years, three former apprentices have also progressed to become Machine Operators and two are now Foreman. One of the newest apprentices Connor Dilloway said: “Since starting my Apprenticeship last September everyone has noticed my communication skills are much better, with the help of my Foreman and gang my knowledge of construction is improving all the time, I am learning all kinds of life skills too.
“At college I am learning key regulations and how they affect me and my colleagues and getting a good understanding of health and safety. The help and support given to me by McPhillips will drive my career along and I will hopefully progress through the company.”
Lorraine Gregory, director of CECA Midlands, said: “We know there is a shortage of people coming into the sector and apprenticeships are a great way to drive the next generation into our industry.
“Apprenticeship Week is a fantastic showcase for that and McPhillips are a great example of what can be achieved if businesses invest in apprenticeships as they continue to reap the benefits of that.”