Partner Article

Helping young apprentices prosper: Bernadette Stainsby from the Vela Group speaks to bdaily

“When I was given the chance to move into such a socially aware sector – the opportunity was too good to miss,” says Bernadette Stainsby, head of human resources at the Vela group. ?

Vela was formed in December 2010, and brought together two social housing providers, Housing Hartlepool and Tristar Homes, who operate independently to look after over 17,000 in the Tees Valley area.?

On its website, Vela’s logo is ‘shaping places, creating communities and changing lives’, and Bernadette role at the company is instrumental role in this, as she has worked closely on establishing an apprenticeship scheme for youngsters to learn practical skills by working on the Group’s housing stock. ?

As she explains about the scheme, its clear that Bernadette has a real energy and passion for helping the Vela trainees.

“We’ve got a small intake of 24 apprentices who work in a variety of craft areas, as well as administration and maintenance works,” she explains. “Its fantastic to get some new fresh talent into work, and many of the young people who have previously been unemployed truly appreciate the value and prospects the scheme offers.?

“I’ve always enjoyed seeing people develop, and in these roles they can do it at such a pace as it can allow people from a non-working background to become real contributors.”? ?

The scheme has already received much interest, and working closely with Hartlepool College, Bernadette is keen to welcome a diverse range of individuals into the scheme.

“We’ve had significant interest in the scheme, and ensuring we get a mix of girls and boys into apprenticeships is important too – a lot of the time the boys want to work with tools, but there is the chance for female applicants to do that too!”?

Bernadette takes a very personalized approach to the scheme, both in terms of their apprentices and the leaders who take them on.? ?

“There is evidence which shows that the apprentices development as individuals is very important, so we do sit them down frequently to see how they’re getting on,” she says. “Equally, the leaders who they work with want to take on apprentices, and are people who really will support them through the process.” ?

Bernadette is now planning for the future, and is genuinely excited to see the results of the scheme.

“Hopefully some wonderful success stories will come out of this project – individuals who have the drive and ambition to seize opportunities and establish a career for their future.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .