Apprentices: Creating the management of the future

I am a huge champion of Apprenticeships, believing they are key to the future of our business, in fact I couldn’t imagine our business without them! This week, National Apprentice Week, celebrates the success of Apprentices, to help grow talent and improve our business commitments to encouraging Apprentices on their chosen career path.

Providing an opportunity

If I were to use one word to define what Apprenticeships mean to me, it would be ‘opportunity’. Apprenticeships give individuals the opportunity to develop new skills, knowledge of legislation and modern working methods, resulting in the sustainable growth of our business. They provide our business with an opportunity to grow organically, remaining at the forefront of our industry through implementing the latest innovations associated with products and method of applications. Our Apprentices develop me as an individual, a mentor and CEO, teaching me the importance of investing time in people. To be able to commit to and complete an Apprenticeship shows dedication, drive and ultimately a passion for our industry; I consider any individual demonstrating these attributes are the future of our family business. I am a true believer in providing individuals with the skills and opportunities to not only develop themselves but develop us as a company; over the years I have witnessed first-hand the advantages Apprenticeships have.

Apprentices have always been fundamental to our business; we have always believed there is a place on every project for an Apprentice, to bring new and fresh ideas to the table whilst learning something different from each and every site - my Dad, George Bell the founder of Bell Group, initially started his career as an Apprentice decorator. From an Apprentice to owning a company currently employing 12.7% (167 of 1309) of Painting and Decorating Apprentices in the UK is a reminder of why every business should invest in the future of our industry. I look at it this way, if my Dad hadn’t been provided with the opportunity of an Apprenticeship, he may have taken a different path and Bell Group may not have existed and positively contributed to the construction industry. Last year we celebrated our 1000th qualified Apprentice, the first being back in 1989 and have since experienced 30 years of growth and development. One of our first Apprentices, Colin Cochrane, has grown to become a Regional Director of our company, a demonstration of the ‘opportunity’ of an Apprentice. When I talk about our involvement with Apprentices it always stops me in my tracks, the shear amount of skilled labour we have contributed to the industry is an achievement to say the least.

The industries skill shortage

A common problem faced in our company, and in fact the industry as a whole, is finding the right employee with the right skills to suit the role. This is why year on year I sit down with our management team and discuss our strategy for Apprentice recruitment, marrying the growth of the business to the number of Apprentices recruited. This strategy has been more relevant and important this year more than ever, with the potential impact of Brexit looming. Our drive for recruiting Apprentices has seen an increase in over 80% over the past 4 years meaning our workforce can remain strong moving forward in these uncertain times. Our strategy sees Apprentices as a key driver in mitigating the risk of skilled labour shortages to our business. I believe Apprenticeships give us an opportunity to develop individuals’ skills needed for our business which allows us to solve the skills gap and ultimately help to employ individuals who are passionate about our industry.

Moulding our future management

Our industry is evolving and therefore it is important we commit to continuous training and development to mould the future management of our business, this is why we invested in a dedicated training manager who has worked closely with CITB to develop the new trailblazer standard in England for Painting & Decorating. She has also worked with key companies in Scotland to shape the Painting and Decorating Apprentice division; her involvement with these key organisations ensures we shape the future skills in our industry.

Opportunities with Apprentices are endless - for any individual which chooses an apprenticeship and demonstrates a passion for construction. I want our employees to see their job as a career not just a job role. I would like the reputation of the construction industry to change to a sector which is attractive to school leavers to pursue long-term, well paid careers. Changing the perception of our industry will ultimately attract more people towards a construction career, narrowing the skills gap.

Apprentices teach our tradespeople new skills

I hear Apprentices are a huge commitment. Yes, it’s true, however it’s a commitment I expect every tradesperson in our business to be ready to take on. I firmly believe our tradespeople can learn just as much from an Apprentice as Apprentices learn from them. Apprentices add new skills, fresh enthusiasm and knowledge of innovative products. Of course, this doesn’t diminish the importance of our tradespeople - they offer invaluable skills and knowledge to each Apprentice – a combination of both I consider to be hugely important to the future success of our business.

Who knows maybe during National Apprentice Week we may recruit our future leader?