Construction careers begin for Birmingham apprentices

Eleven ambitious trainees have taken their first steps towards a career in construction after securing sought-after apprenticeships with energy and regeneration specialist Equans.

The new recruits will work alongside experienced teams and mentors on the housing repairs and maintenance service which Equans provides on behalf of Birmingham City Council.

Since 2016, Equans has created apprenticeships for over 200 people living in the city and the surrounding areas, providing opportunities to build successful careers and to learn trades and skills to last a lifetime.

On completion of their apprenticeships, the latest new recruits – who will study at local colleges - will be qualified in fields including joinery, electrical engineering and quantity surveying. One of the trainees will undertake an apprenticeship in human resources and another in customer service.

A graduate trainee and an intern have also been recruited to work alongside Equans’s teams.

One of Equans’s new electrical engineering apprentices, Lewis Fitter aged 21 from Chelmsley Wood, said: “This opportunity with Equans arose and I jumped straight at it. The business feels very professional and very welcoming, and my mentor is great - he’s very knowledgeable. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in and learning new skills, there’s a lot of room to grow here.

“I come from a council estate so am familiar with the type of properties I’ll be working in. It’ll be good to work with residents and give something back to the types of communities I grew up in.”

Justin Catton, senior operations director at Equans, commented: “Our new recruits have shown real grit already by beating off hundreds of applicants for these roles. I’m looking forward to seeing them progress and become fully-fledged members of the team.

“We’re passionate about using our projects to leave a lasting legacy in the communities where we work, and we believe it’s important that we create opportunities for the next generation of skilled workers in Birmingham to continue to provide an excellent service to residents on behalf of the council.”

In Birmingham, Equans provides a repairs and maintenance service to over 40,000 council-owned homes. It is also half-way through an ambitious programme to make over 1,600 council-owned homes more energy efficient, reducing energy bills for residents and cutting the homes’ annual carbon emissions by 2,500 tonnes by March 2025.