Celebrating UK National Apprenticeship Week

To coincide with National Apprenticeship Week 2018, leading property services specialist Ian Williams held its second Qualification Celebration Lunch at Bristol's Ashton Gate Stadium. The event which was attended by 32 people, celebrated the company's apprentice, trainee and staff achievers and recognised the vital contribution they make to the business. Ian Williams is committed to direct delivery of its services and has pledged that 10% of its trade workforce will be made up of apprentices. This programme is managed by the Ian Williams Academy which delivered over 4,000 days of training and personal development in 2017.

Sian Pearce, Ian Williams' Training and Development Manager, welcomed the day's achievers and commented: "The aim of this lunch is to celebrate the achievements of those that have successfully gained qualifications across many areas of the business. This year, a large emphasis was also placed on the mentors that support the trainees throughout the business. Ashley Ward, Contract Manager, was presented with the Best Apprentice Mentor Award by Ian Williams' MD Andy Havard, an inaugural award that was created in recognition of the dedication of those directly involved in supporting apprentices. Ashley Ward was nominated by his team for the commitment he gives to ensuring his apprentices are well supported and their workloads are varied so they can gain as much experience as possible to become valued members of the team."

Andy Havard presented the award with a personal message: "Ian Williams has strong processes and systems in place, but it's the people that are responsible for our success. As a strong advocate of apprenticeships, we currently employ fifty-eight apprentices across the business, but they can only thrive with the dedicated support of those that act as mentors. Congratulations to Ashley and to everyone on their achievements."

This year's Guest Speaker was Mark Whitby from CITB who commented: "I am inspired by the achievements here today. The Ian Williams' Academy model has been developed over many years and the level of support it provides is unrivalled and highly regarded. In fact, we often refer to the 'Ian Williams Model' as the benchmark to aim for when talking to industry. It is an exciting time for apprentices joining the construction sector. Over 160,000 jobs, at all levels, are likely to be created over the next five years as demand for new housing and infrastructure increases. I encourage these apprentices to continue with their learning - 'life-long learning' is the buzz word of the moment and the opportunities to progress are ripe."

Vacancies for the 2018 apprenticeship intake are now live and the company are looking to recruit the next round of painters, plumbers, carpenters, electricians and trainee surveyors to begin their training. For more information on Ian Williams, the Academy and the career development opportunities the company offers, please visit: www.ianwilliams.co.uk.