Member Article

Walter Thompson gives youngsters a chance

A CONSTRUCTION company building a new care home in Middlesbrough has given four youngsters a chance to enter the industry.

Family-owned Walter Thompson is constructing a new £4m, 85-bed care home at Stainton for Silk Healthcare. Work started last November and is due for completion next February.

Walter Thompson is working with Choosing Pathways, a Middlesbrough-based programme helping young people into work, to provide four youngsters with regular work experience.

The four teenagers, James Marron, 19, Bailey Strike, 17, Warren Foster, 17, and Aaron Armstrong, 17, have already completed an induction and will complete a day a week work experience at the care home building site until the end of May.

Leonie Smith, HR and Training Manager at Northallerton-based Walter Thompson, said: “Although we’re initially offering the opportunity for work placements, there is the possibility that they could be considered for an apprenticeship if any of the individuals decide this is the career path for them.

“We regularly take on apprentices and will be doing so again this September, so if these four young people are interested and show the right level of commitment and interest, then who knows?”

Kevin Phillips, Teaching Assistant at Choosing Pathways, said the organisation was grateful for Walter Thompson’s generosity: “It’s so important for the lads to experience the real working environment, but such opportunities, particularly on a building site, are hard to come by. Leonie at Walter Thompson immediately understood the value of what we do, and how the company could help us.

“They’ve been really easy to work with and we’re really grateful for the chance they’ve given to the lads, hopefully they’ll rise to the challenge. We’re trying to move them in the direction of an apprenticeship and they know there could be an opportunity here.”

Choosing Pathways is set up to help and support youngsters who have found mainstream schooling is not for them. It offers vocational development programmes for children from the age of 14 through to 18

Walter Thompson has vast experience working in the care home sector and are also experts working in the education sector. Last year, the company was declared winner of the Most Considerate Site 2016 at the Considerate Constructors Scheme’s National Site Awards for its work at Linthorpe School in Middlesbrough. The award was given within the category of sites with a project value of £500k to £5m.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Walter Thompson .