Greenfields celebrates National Apprentiship Week with school visits

Published by Donata Rio for Greenfields Community Housing in Housing

National Apprentice Week celebrates the positive impact that apprenticeship schemes have on individuals and businesses. Greenfields Community Housing in Essex has been promoting its own, successful apprenticeship scheme through two previous apprentices visiting a local school to speak to students and educate them on the benefits of this scheme.

Simon Medhurst, a Chargehand at Greenfields, started his career as an apprentice in Advanced Carpentry and Joinery at Richmond Upon Thames College in London, before joining Braintree District Council in 1988 and then Greenfields in 2007. Simon recently visited Tabor Academy in Braintree with his son Samuel, who successfully completed his own Carpentry Apprenticeship with Greenfields in 2010. Through a mixture of motivational talks and question & answer sessions, Simon and Samuel engaged with students and shared the opportunities that Greenfields offers.

Since launching its apprenticeship schemes in 2007, Greenfields has developed and mentored over 24 apprentices in a range of disciplines (including carpentry and customer service) many of whom have progressed to working at Greenfields permanently.

Greenfields is committed to the training and development of its staff and apprenticeships, offering hands-on experience from day one. Apprenticeships allow you to study and gain a nationally recognised qualification; and support and guidance is available for all apprentices. The management team at Greenfields believe their role is more than simply providing a service to residents, it is about the social value that can be contributed now and in the future, and the apprenticeship programme is one aspect of that.

Simon Medhurst commented: “We feel that our visits to the college were extremely beneficial to the students. The opportunity that we were given by the school was a fantastic way to promote Greenfields and highlight our core values and our services, whilst enabling us to educate young people on the benefits of apprenticeships and work experience schemes.”

Samuel Medhurst said of his own apprenticeship: “Working with my mentor and having one day a week at college I learned all about the trade and everything I needed to become a carpenter. I enjoyed working in customers’ houses, gaining the practical experience I needed for my NVQ and I also enjoyed the college work, learning about the technical side of carpentry.”

Julie Breed, Head of Human Resources at Greenfields, said: “Apprenticeships are an invaluable way of passing on our skills, knowledge and experience to the next generation. We want to give apprentices the tools to enable them to move onto employment, either here or elsewhere.”

For more information on Greenfields Community Housing, please visit www.GreenfieldsCH.org.uk or call 01376 535400.