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Group News
Trainees Nearing Completion
Hillcrest Enterprises Limited, part of the Hillcrest Group, is pleased to congratulate a group of apprentices nearing the end of their four- year Modern Apprenticeship training programme.
This unique Modern Apprenticeship training programme commenced in December 2002 and was Hillcrest’s attempt to provide additional MA places within the construction industry and to help young people enter an industry that is suffering from a shortage of young trainees. The programme was only possible due to a positive partnering approach between Hillcrest Enterprises Ltd, Hillcrest Housing Association and George Martin Builders Ltd.
The apprentices were employed by George Martin Builders Ltd. and trained by Hillcrest Enterprises Ltd. The training was site based as much as possible, and used Hillcrest’s house building programme to underpin the programme for work content.
Dave Maxwell of George Martin Builders Ltd said “This initiative is a great idea and one that should be repeated. The on-site training is advantageous to both the apprentice and the employer and has now proved to produce good quality tradespeople, into a building industry that is desperately in need of new recruits. I wish all the apprentices the very best in their careers in the construction industry".
Bruce Leslie, Training Liaison Officer for Hillcrest Enterprises Ltd said ‘’ We are delighted that our first batch of trainees are nearing completion of their training time. They have all worked very hard over the past four years and we are confident that they will be an asset to the local construction industry. We would like to thank both Communities Scotland and Scottish Enterprise Tayside. Without their help and support, none of this would have been possible’’.
Before joining the programme, many of the trainees had tried unsuccessfully to find an apprenticeship. “I have really enjoyed my apprenticeship. I wrote off to many places to try and find a joiner apprenticeship but kept getting told that they weren’t taking anyone on. If it wasn’t for the Hillcrest programme I doubt I would have found an apprenticeship and a way into the construction industry.” (Shaun Forsyth, carpenter and joiner apprentice from Forfar)
This particular initiative has received pilot status at present from the Scottish Building Apprenticeship and Training Council, and it is hoped that the programme can be repeated in the future.
An evening reception took place on Thursday night in Discovery Point to mark the first group of 13 apprentices, all from the Angus area, nearing the end of their four- year apprenticeship.