Apprentices in Powys are learning from the best as NPTC Group of Colleges and EvaBuild join forces to help develop construction workers for the future.
The partnership is already on solid ground and looks to develop further with the hope of additional apprenticeships being offered by the College which has campuses across Wales including Newtown College and Brecon Beacons College as well sites in Neath Port Talbot, Maesteg and Swansea.
EvaBuild is also a prominent business in Wales, with ten years of trading. It works predominantly in civil engineering and groundworks construction. It works in multiple sectors too including education, the NHS and Healthcare as well as the Ministry of Defence.
It currently has apprentices working on several sites including Shrewsbury Hospital where we caught up with the apprentices and the team from EvaBuild.
Project Manager, Rob Evans said he hoped to expand the programme to cover apprenticeships not only in construction which includes civil engineering and ground works but also in other disciplines including HR, business, surveying and other construction skills.
“We are looking to expand into more disciplines and with more work locally we would like to offer more apprenticeships to 16 and 17-year-olds and help them stay in the locality. Apprenticeships are great for us. They start at the beginning learning about the business and we train them as we want them to be trained and they do the disciplines in college that we need them to learn.
“Using NPTC Group of Colleges and Newtown College is very important. We are a local company and are aware that a lot of youngsters move away for work. By working together, we can hopefully keep them in Powys and keep the Powys pound re-circulating into the local economy.”
Tomas Vaughan and Jez Wheeldon, both from Newtown are thriving in their apprenticeships. As well as earning while learning they are hoping to pick up the skills and experience that will help them progress in the industry.
Jez who is completing his apprenticeship in Civil Engineering said it was the best way to learn. “Not only do I get paid but I learn from experienced members of staff who have multiple years of experience in this sector. I can progress too and go into civil engineering, project management, estimator and the list goes on.”
Thomas added that he had done some research before embarking on his apprenticeship. “It’s important to see what’s out there and I chose EvaBuild because of its good reputation.”
As well as the Foundation in Construction and Building Services Engineering Apprenticeship (Level2) the College will be offering a new apprenticeship in Construction from September 2022 across several campuses including Level 3 in the following: Wall and Floor Tiling; Solid Plastering; Painting and Decorating; Site Carpentry; Architectural Joinery; Bricklaying; Dry Lining – Fixing; Civil Operations – Groundworks. Its aimed at students who have achieved their Level 2 Foundation in Construction and Building Services Engineering or will be completing the Level 2 core in Construction and Building Service Engineering learning and assessments while on their apprenticeship.
Eddie Jones, Deputy Head of School for Construction said: “It’s the ideal time to be launching the New Level 3 Apprenticeships and it’s a natural progression for students that have completed the Level 2 Foundation with us. We know there is demand out there for the skills and working in partnership with businesses like EvaBuild we know they will be put to good use.”
