Young people in Merseyside get chance of training through apprenticeships with Balfour Beatty

Balfour Beatty Apprenticeships will be delivered in partnership with the North West Apprenticeship Company and will provide opportunities for young people to take up apprenticeships in a range of areas including construction trades, ICT and facilities management, within Balfour Beatty’s supply-chain companies.

The first of the two apprentices to join the scheme are Stephen Gilchrist (17) of Kirkby who will be undertaking a general construction operations apprenticeship and Ben Howarth (16) of Hunts Cross who will be trained in bricklaying.

Ronnie Round, leader of Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council, said: ??"Through this innovative and far-reaching programme Balfour Beatty will transform the futures of a great many young people. There is a huge amount of untapped talent within our communities and it is our collective duty to harness that potential. Apprenticeship schemes like these are vital to social and economic progress. This is literally a lifeline for many youngsters facing uncertainty in the current climate."

Balfour Beatty Apprenticeships was developed to maximise opportunities for young people to benefit from the significant projects that Balfour Beatty are currently undertaking in the region. Balfour Beatty Construction is completing work on the remaining £60 million Knowsley schools programme and Liverpool’s Wave 2 schools programme of £56 million.

Birse Civils is working with Liverpool City Council and its partners on Edge Lane West, the final phase of the Edge Lane Highways and Environmental Improvement Scheme, while Mansell will be working with the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service on seven new community fire stations.

Chris Whitehead of Balfour Beatty Construction said: ??"In the current climate employers may be reluctant to take on more staff and may not have the resources to implement full-scale apprenticeships internally. We have worked closely with our supply network to create a scheme, which takes the risk away from local companies. We are looking for motivated, hard-working young people who are committed to a better future. Today we have seen evidence that there is no shortage of talent in Merseyside and we are looking forward to watching the progress of all our apprentices."