Member Article

Southdale continues its apprenticeship drive in the region

Southdale, the construction and development specialist, has reaffirmed its commitment to apprentices after taking on new recruits for affordable housing projects in the North East.

The firm, which has offices in the North East, Yorkshire and the North West, has, in collaboration with NCT Skills, employed three new apprentice bricklayers for its new-build projects in Jarrow and South Shields.

17-year-olds Laura Elder, Steven Jones and Osanuyi Igbinusun, who are all studying towards their Level 2 NVQ in Brickwork, through NCT, will spend time on active building sites while studying for their qualifications.

Southdale is building a total of 76 homes across three sites in Jarrow and South Shields, for South Tyneside Homes. A communal hall will also be built on one of the sites, West Way, in South Shields.

Southdale recruited 25 apprentices in the North last year and plans to double that figure in 2015, offering further opportunities to young people to learn a trade and develop their talent.

Craig Knowles, North East Operations Director for Southdale, said: “We’re committed to the development of talented young people in the construction industry, and the company is delighted to be expanding the team here in the North East. It’s been a fantastic start to 2015, and we’re aiming to recruit further talented apprentices throughout the year.

“I would like to welcome Laura, Steven and Osanuyi to their roles and wish them all the best with their studies and career development here at Southdale.”

Ian Wood, Managing Director at NCT Skills, added: “We’re delighted to be supporting Southdale in training their apprenticesand very much look forward to further developing this relationship over the coming years. Our apprentices have been given a great welcome into the construction industry and have thoroughly enjoyed their first few weeks on site.

“We work with a large number of young apprentices every year, in a range of vocations, and it is vital to have support of businesses to give them the opportunity to learn from professionals on the job, especially in the construction industry where the skills gap is especially prevalent. The partnership between Southdale and NCT Skills will continue to address that by attracting more young people into the construction industry.”

http://www.southdale.co.uk

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