Take 5 Podcast with 5% Club and Skills England
Take Five with Phil Smith CBE (Skills England) Episode 6:
Apprenticeships in the DNA
Forty-plus years ago, Richard started work as a painting and decorating apprentice. Today he's AD's SHEQ Director and Board Director. That journey still shapes how AD develops our people.
In this episode of Take 5, Lindsay Conroy, Director of Policy & Strategic Engagement at The 5% Club, is joined by Richard and by Phil Smith CBE, Chair of Skills England, for a practical conversation about what apprenticeships deliver for employers of every size.
With around 170 employees, AD shows that you don't need to be a large organisation to make earn and learn central to your workforce strategy.
Apprentices and trainees are working and learning right across the business: traditional trades, quantity surveying, IT, health and safety and business support, with many going on into management and senior leadership.
Richard and Phil discuss what makes it work in practice:
→ Planning ahead for future skills needs
→ Building relationships with colleges, schools, Jobcentre Plus and other partners
→ Investing in mentoring and clear career pathways
→ Staying engaged with apprentices throughout their programme
→ Reaching young people who might never otherwise consider construction, including those not in education, employment or training
They're honest about the barriers too, from transport and dispersed sites to the challenge of navigating the skills system, and the role employer networks play in tackling them.
Richard's advice to employers thinking about apprenticeships is refreshingly simple: start small, learn from others, use the support available, and don't be afraid to ask questions.
Listen to Episode 6 now:
