Pictured above: Plastering apprentice Jay Gunn
A Walsall teenager has taken a step onto the construction career
ladder with help from leading Midlands' housing provider whg.
whg has announced an exclusive wage subsidy scheme as part of a
campaign to support local construction firms and the next
generation of tradesmen and women.
It will pay half an eligible apprentice's wage for six months
and 17-year-old Jay Gunn is the first to benefit. Employers
are invited to get in touch to take advantage of this limited
offer, funded by Visionary Investment Enhancing Walsall (VIEW).
Jay, of Leamore, has been learning a trade at whg's Skills
Centre for nine months and has now been taken on as an apprentice
plasterer by Walsall company J M Renderwall.
He said: "I'm really pleased to have got this apprenticeship -
it is a great opportunity for me and I'm learning so much every
day."
Audrey Clarkson, Work Based Learning Mentor at the Skills
Centre, said: "Jay is the first apprentice to be taken on under
this scheme but we are currently in the process of signing up
additional apprentices with several different companies.
"In the current financial climate, a lot of companies are
reluctant to take on new employees because they are not sure where
their next job is coming from.
"This scheme will help young people into employment while
encouraging employers to realise the importance of apprenticeships
and how they can benefit their business."
His new employer, Jason Wall, said: "Jay is keen to learn and
doing well. The scheme is a good idea because it helps employers
and enables apprentices like Jay to get valuable day-to-day
experience of the job."
Jay has already achieved a City & Guilds qualification in
basic construction will continue to study part-time at the Skills
Centre for an NVQ Level 2 in plastering.
The wage subsidy initiative covers apprenticeships in
construction trades plumbing, electrical skills, bricklaying,
plastering and carpentry. Call Audrey at the Skills Centre on
0845 155 0310 to find out more.