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Seymour welcomes new apprentices to the team

A CIVIL engineering specialist has given three students the opportunity to take their first step on the career ladder by taking them on as apprentices.

Klaudia Robinson, Sam Shaw and Lewis Hunt have all joined Seymour Civil Engineering as Apprentice Management Trainees.

They have all enrolled on the three-year Construction Built Environment course at Hartlepool College of Further Education, and will spend four days a week at Seymour with the remaining day based in the classroom to complete the academic part of the programme.

Klaudia, 17, from the King Oswy area of Hartlepool, left St Hild’s school to start her apprenticeship and will work with the Quantity Surveying team.

She said: “This is something I’ve always wanted to do. It’s a great opportunity, and hopefully I will learn enough to gain a job at the end of the three-year course.”

Sam, 16, a former High Tunstall College of Science student who comes from High Throston, will work in the Estimating department. He said: “I’m looking forward to getting started, because Seymour is one of the biggest businesses of its kind in the region and it would be a dream job for me if there was an opportunity at the end of the course.”

Lewis, 17 from Clavering, is another product of St Hild’s and will specialise in Repair & Maintenance. He said: “There are a lot of people in senior positions at Seymour who have started as an apprentice, and I see this as a real opportunity to get my foot on the career ladder and hopefully make progress.”

Kevin Byrne, Managing Director at Seymour Civil Engineering, is always keen to provide opportunities for young people and is delighted with the relationship his firm has with Hartlepool College.

He said: “I said when Klaudia, Sam and Lewis walked in that today was the first day of the start of their future.

“From my own point of view, at Seymour if we get an apprentice through the door then they learn from their very first day. They know the Seymour way, and pick up the good habits. It’s easier to give someone good habits than to try and take the bad habits they’ve learned away from them.

“I have a pyramid mentality when it comes to running this business, and I want them to build their way up that pyramid. We’re a local company working with a great local college to provide opportunities, and it gives me a lot of pride both personally and professionally to welcome them on board.”

Seymour is recognised as one of the North East’s leading civil engineering businesses, and employs a workforce in excess of 230 throughout the region.

The firm specialises in drainage, urban renewal projects, restoration and development work as well as sea defence and coastal protection work.

Darren Hankey, Principal at Hartlepool College of Further Education, said: “We have built up a great relationship with Seymour over the years, and we are delighted to be able to provide them with three apprentices for their Management Trainee scheme.

“There have been some real success stories from Seymour with apprentices going on to greater things within the company, and I wish Klaudia, Sam and Lewis all the best moving forward.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ian Willis .