Bournemouth & Poole College apprentice carpenter Will Spriggs has had a busy week away from the construction site. Will, who is currently in the second year of his apprenticeship with Poole-based chartered builders, Greendale Construction Limited, recently gave a speech at the Houses of Parliament as part of the CITB’s ‘I’m backing apprenticeships’ launch. The initiative, which aims to address the issues involved in meeting the required 220,000 new workers it is estimated the construction industry needs in the next five years, was attended by MPs including Henry Bellingham MP and Nick Boles MP.
After the launch Greendale invited CITB Director of Policy and Strategic Planning, Steve Radley, to its Poole head office and to tour the Fulcrum Centre; the construction division at Bournemouth & Poole College. Mr Radley was able to meet other Greendale construction apprentices and learn about the ethos involved in training the builders and skilled trades-people of the future.
Greendale carpentry apprentice Will Spriggs said: “During my speech at The Houses of Parliament I really wanted to get the message across about how valuable and worthwhile the apprenticeship scheme is. I hope I was able to emphasise to everyone that a good apprenticeship course is as valuable to the economy long-term as a course of academic study at university.
“There is less personal debt associated with an apprenticeship and there's an income, plus you can progress to Higher Education later on if you choose.”
During his visit, to the college’s Fulcrum Centre in Poole, Mr Radley was invited to see some of the region's best facilities for construction industry training. There is a focus on the wood trades (Site carpentry, bench joinery, shop fitting, kitchen fitting) and a variety of trowel trades including bricklaying and ground works. Whilst there, Mr Radley also met with Mitchell Sherwood, 16, from Oakdale, Poole, who is another of Greendale’s current three apprentices, having just started his first year of training.
Mr Radley said: “It is satisfying to see first-hand that at grassroots there is a dedication and total commitment from the teaching staff at the Bournemouth & Poole College to inspire these young men and women.”
Greendale Construction HR and Finance director, Maria Seabright, said: “It was encouraging to have someone as influential as Steve Radley from the CITB visit Greendale, and for the college to be able to showcase the fantastic construction facilities they have at The Fulcrum. Greendale has very strong links with the college as well as the CITB, so it was a pleasure to be able to bring these together for the day and give Mr Radley a genuine insight into how apprenticeships and training are benefitting this part of Dorset.”
