A Birmingham repairs and maintenance company which was established nearly 90 years ago has been named as the country’s apprentice employer of the year.
Bournville PropertyCare Services, which is part of Bournville Village Trust, received the title from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) as part of its 50th Anniversary Pride of Construction Awards.
The firm, which employees 74 people, provides repair and maintenance services, including plumbing, gas and electrical work, to 8,000 homes managed by Bournville Village Trust.
Around 20 per cent of its workforce, including its Head of Asset Management Steve Fellows, has come through its apprentice scheme, which was launched in the 1920s.
Steve Fellows, Head of Asset Management at Bournville Village Trust, said: “We are very proud to receive this award which recognises our ongoing efforts to invest in the plumbers, electricians, painters and decorators, carpenter, joiners and gas engineers of the future.
“Currently we employ 10 apprentices who are learning a whole raft of trades, working alongside experienced tradespeople to receive expert tutelage and mentoring.
“Once their training is complete, we will continue to support them to find and secure permanent placements as part of our ongoing commitment to helping young people into work.”
Mick O’Flynn, CITB Regional Delivery Manager for Central England, said, “Bournville PropertyCare Services is a worthy winner of our 50th Anniversary Apprentice Employer of the Year Award.
“The company has an outstanding and long-established track record of working with local schools to provide work experience placements and encouraging people from a range of cultures and background to work as apprentices.
“We are delighted to recognise and credit its many achievements around the recruitment, training and retention of apprentices.”
Bournville PropertyCare Services is part of Bournville Village Trust, a housing association which manages 8,000 homes and provides services to around 25,000 people across Birmingham and Shropshire.
For more information about Bournville PropertyCare Services, click here.
The CITB’s 50th Anniversary Pride of Construction Awards took place in September at a ceremony at Old Billingsgate in London.