Esh Construction and Durham County Council have partnered to provide three joinery apprentices with the opportunity to enhance their training portfolios through a placement on a new build housing development.
Jack Whiting, Jae Oliver and Matthew Bell have joined the team at Seaham Garden Village to gain experience of roofing as part of their Level 3 Site Carpentry and Joinery apprenticeship which they study at New College Durham.
Day-to-day Jack and Jae, aged 18 and 20 respectively, and Matthew, work on refurbishment and extension projects with Durham County Council which involves joinery work in schools, libraries and leisure centres. Working on the 750-home development, which is set to be County Durham’s first ‘garden village’, has provided their first glimpse into joinery in a new build housing environment.
For the 18th National Apprenticeship Week, February 10-16th, Jae has highlighted the benefits of choosing the apprenticeship route upon leaving school. He said: “With an apprenticeship, it usually means you can stay at home or closer to home, which you may not be able to if you go to university, and you get paid alongside learning on-the-job and getting your qualifications.
“For me, if I didn’t have an apprenticeship, then I probably wouldn’t have been able to afford to learn to drive or buy the car I have. It has also helped me develop my social skills through meeting new people, I remember being really nervous when I first started three years ago, whereas now I feel much more comfortable in my surroundings.”
Jae highlighted the importance of choosing an apprenticeship in a discipline that you enjoy, saying: “I’d advise anyone weighing up their options to ‘just do it’, but make sure it’s something that you’re going to like doing every day. It brings you straight into the real world of work.”
The placements will form part of Esh’s commitment to delivering training opportunities throughout the Seaham Garden Village scheme, which, in the first phase, includes providing over 300 apprentice training weeks for County Durham residents and two T Level placements.
Aley Wright, Social Value Coordinator at Esh, said: “Through a collaborative approach to delivering social value we can support more young people and new entrants to develop long-term careers in the construction industry. This is just one of the many meaningful initiatives we will deliver throughout the Seaham Garden Village development which will provide many opportunities for those in the local community for years to come.”
Cllr Richard Bell, Deputy Leader at Durham County Council, said: “We’re delighted to have teamed up with Esh Construction to give Jack, Jae and Matthew the opportunity to learn new skills that will stand them in good stead in their careers. We pride ourselves on helping young people carve out the best future for themselves and it’s great, during National Apprenticeship Week, to celebrate the difference Jack, Jae and Matthew are making in our county through their work at this important site.”
Esh Construction is currently delivering the first phase of 750 affordable homes at Seaham Garden Village on behalf of Karbon Homes. The new homes are being built to the very latest building standards, ensuring they are fit for the future, and will boast a range of energy efficient technologies, including solar photovoltaic panels and battery storage units. The aim is for all properties to be net zero carbon.
Through a collaborative approach to delivering social value we can support more young people and new entrants to develop long-term careers in the construction industry. This is just one of the many meaningful initiatives we will deliver throughout the Seaham Garden Village development which will provide many opportunities for those in the local community for years to come.”