Trades apprentices take their first steps to success with Wolverhampton Homes

We welcomed new apprentices as part of our most recent round of recruitment. The new apprentices, who are all from the Wolverhampton area and aged between 17 and 24, will be undertaking bricklaying, carpentry, electrical, plumbing and gas apprenticeships, spanning between two and four years, dependent on their chosen path.

The apprentices were formally welcomed at an induction ceremony with our Senior Management team on Wednesday 20 October 2021.

Tia, aged 20 who is completing a two-year bricklaying apprenticeship said:

“We met the Senior Management team on Wednesday and they really made us feel welcome. They talked about Wolverhampton Homes’ vision for the future and how we’ll be contributing to that.

“I’ve lived in Wolverhampton all my life and it’s a great feeling to know I’ll be working on local projects that benefit the city.

“I hope to be able to develop my skills and have a long career with Wolverhampton Homes once I’m a qualified bricklayer.”

The apprentices will be working alongside our Property Services teams and strategic construction partners, gaining hands-on experience working in tenants’ homes and on construction sites where they will develop technical skills vital to the industry. Alongside this, they are also attending the City of Wolverhampton College where they will complete Levels Two and Three qualifications relevant to their chosen trade.

Richard Hewitt from the City of Wolverhampton College said:

“Apprenticeships represent a fantastic route into long and rewarding careers. Not only do apprentices gain qualifications that will open doors for them, but they also benefit from ‘on the job’ experience and one to one supervision that is seldom seen elsewhere. Many apprentices go on to secure employment with their placement employer.

“We work alongside partners across the City of Wolverhampton to offer a range of apprenticeships designed to set people on the path to their chosen career. More information can be found on our website at www.wolvcoll.ac.uk/demographic/apprentices”

The recruitment of new trades apprentices complements a previous round of recruitment in March 2021, during which we hired apprentices to specialise in electrics, plumbing and gas.

Ian Gardner, Wolverhampton Homes’ Assistant Director of Property Services said:

“Developing local talent is key to our vision of unlocking people’s potential through housing, skills and technology. Our apprenticeship programme has seen people go on to secure permanent employment in their chosen trade and we’ve gained some fantastic colleagues along the way.

“Our new apprentices will each have the opportunity to develop their technical and people skills across a structured programme. They’ll be paired with experienced colleagues, many of whom also started their careers as apprentices, so they get a great balance of practical training and classroom learning.

“Every apprentice brings something different to Wolverhampton Homes and I look forward to hearing some of their ideas and watching their careers flourish.”

City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for City Assets and Housing, Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, said:

“We have made tackling youth unemployment in the city a priority through our ‘Wolves at Work 18-24’ plans.

“As always, Wolverhampton Homes is showing to other employers what can be achieved through their recruitment of apprentices.

“Apprenticeships are an excellent pathway into employment and we work closely with partners to develop apprenticeship opportunities across the city.

“Anyone interested in finding out more about apprenticeships should visit www.wolvesworkbox.com/apprenticeships.”

We're in the process of reshaping our services in response to changing customer needs and expectations, following consultation with customers during July and August 2021. This has led to the creation of numerous employment opportunities over the past few months.

More information about working for Wolverhampton Homes can be found online at www.wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk/about-us/work-for-us.