Apprenticeships

Hundreds of Kent youngsters urged to consider apprenticeships in the housebuilding industry

- 28 Feb 19

Hundreds of youngsters in Kent have been encouraged by specialists from a national housebuilder to consider apprenticeships in the industry.

Staff at Bovis Homes attended a 600 pupil-strong Apprenticeship Fair in Maidstone to talk about the different roles at the housebuilder, the day-to-day activities carried out in housebuilding and the different routes to enter the industry.

The fair, supported by four MPs in Kent, had more than 40 stalls and took place at Maidstone Leisure Centre, at Mote Park, for 16 to 18-year-olds.

Craig Jones, sales advisor at Bovis Homes’ Saxons Plain location in West Sussex, said: “We had a tremendous response to our Bovis Homes stall.

“Pupils came up to us throughout the day, eager to find out more about housebuilding and the work Bovis Homes does, from construction to sales to customer care.

“These are exciting times at Bovis Homes and I’m delighted to work for this company. We wanted to express that to these youngsters, who have their whole career to look forward to.

“What better way to start it than by joining Bovis Homes, whether as an apprentice or young recruit.”

Laura Myatt, group HR assistant at Bovis Homes, also attended the fair and said there was a good mix of both female and male pupils enquiring about opportunities at the housebuilder.

“We had many young women asking us questions about how to get into construction, sales, HR, customer care and admin roles,” she said. “They were interested in all areas of the business and we were delighted to share our experiences and tell them what a fantastic employer we work for.”

MPs Tracey Crouch, Helen Grant, Helen Whately and Tom Tugendhat joined forces to launch the fair, to support more young people into apprenticeships.

A spokesperson for the quartet said: “We are four local MPs in the heart of Kent who share a passion in supporting our year 12 and 13 pupils into meaningful apprenticeships if they choose that path rather than university.”

Bovis Homes colleagues Palvinder Calliste, area sales director, and Darren March, area build manager, also attended the event.