Yesterday, Bournville Village Trust’s (BVT) Bournville PropertyCare Services (BPS) division were awarded the title of ‘Apprentice Employer of the Year’ by CITB, the sector skills council for the Construction industry.
The CITB Managed Agency Award ceremony took place at the O2 Arena in London with awards presented by adventurer and broadcaster Ben Fogel.
BPS was entered into 2 categories; English Apprentice Employer of the Year and UK Apprentice Employer of the Year. Beating off stiff competition from some of the UK’s major building and constructions firms, BPS not only won their regional category but also walked away with the title of UK Apprenticeship Employer of the Year. The CITB Apprentice Employer of the Year awards recognise employers that have made significant contributions to developing staff and nurturing skills through work based training and apprenticeship programmes.
Judged by a team of CITB Regional Managers, BPS was nominated by Abdul Mozzandar, Apprenticeship Officer from Construction Skills. Commenting on his decision to nominate BPS, Abdul said;
“We have been really impressed by the commitment and support that BPS has given to their Apprentices. They offer diversity and scope for opportunity whilst really looking after their staff.”
Commenting on their success, Steve Rose, Head of Contracting Services (BPS) said;
“We have a long history of delivering training to local young people that harks back to the days of George Cadbury, the founder of BVT. Today, BPS employs 12 Apprentices within its property care business, with plans to continue to develop new talent in years to come. Being recognised for our work in developing tradespeople is great. This accolade from CITB is really the icing on the cake for us. Developing young people is part of our ethos and helps us to support the local economy. It’s all about offering local jobs to local people. This helps us build and sustain our communities.”
As demand for Apprenticeships continues to outstrip supply, on average organisations receive 11 online applications per vacancy. With such demand for apprenticeship opportunities, there is a real need for business like BVT to continue to offer scope and opportunity.
“We pride ourselves on offering the very best service to our customers”, said Duncan Cadbury, Chairman of BVT Trustees. “Having a well-trained and dedicated workforce plays a vital part in how we operate. Being recognised by CITB as Apprenticeship Employer of the Year is a tremendous boost for us and our trainees.”
The success of BVT’s property maintenance business has been well documented in recent years with many other social housing providers looking to the Trust for advice and guidance on delivering property management.
Unlike many social landlords that have adopted outsourcing to deliver property maintenance, BVT has bucked the trend by investing in training and people. A commitment that has seen their service grow year on year.
BVT’s Chief Executive, Peter Roach said,
“These awards are great news for the Trust, but also send a clear message out to other business as to the importance that training and development can have on the success of a business, regardless of sector or size. I would like to extend thanks and praise to the team at BPS and congratulate all of our current and former Apprentices that have made this happen.”
CITB’s Area Delivery Manager Naomi Harriman said;
“With over 75% of our Apprentices going on to full time employment, BVT’s commitment to supporting the future of young people has been evident. These awards are set to recognise the value that employers have in addressing the UK’s skills shortage both now and in the future.”
Ben Fogel said,
“It’s good to see a company invest so heavily in their apprentices in the form of on-going training for such a wide range of skills.”