Tom Bennett |
Tom Woodhouse |
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2 . Tom Bennett , multitrade repair and maintenance apprentice
Tom Bennett got more than he expected when he was hired to do some casual work for family firm J & C James . After helping owner , Michael James , lay a driveway , Tom was offered an apprenticeship with the company – the first year of which is being part-funded by Hudson Contract .
Tom , 25 , is now enrolled on a level 2 Apprenticeship in Multi-Trade Repair and Maintenance , which covers carpentry and joinery , painting and decorating , plumbing , drainage , wall and floor tiling , plastering , roofing and bricklaying and stonemasonry .
Tom said : “ It ’ s the variety that ’ s so appealing , and the same goes outside the classroom , because
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so far with J & C James , I have helped install a floating floor , erect scaffolding and assisted with an extension .”
Boss Michael James is delighted with Tom ’ s progress , he said : “ He ’ s hard working and fits in well with the team . Getting the right personality is key to a small business taking on an apprentice . Every day there are different things to do - some you will like , and others that are not as exciting , so it ’ s getting someone who understands this and is willing to put in the time to learn . Tom fits the bill perfectly . And having invested our time in teaching him a variety of skills , we hope to offer him a long-term career . Our track record in that area ’ s not too bad , our first apprentice is still with us , and he ’ ll soon be celebrating his 50th birthday !”
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3 . Tom Woodhouse , bricklaying apprentice
Tom Woodhouse is an apprentice with Woodhouse & Waines , working under the guidance of his father , Ian , a former apprentice .
One of the major advantages of working with a small building firm is that Tom is gaining experience in a wide variety of areas . While he is currently working towards a level 3 NVQ in Bricklaying , he is also getting experience of groundworks , roofing and plastering , which is adding to his skills and will help him as he pursues a career in the construction industry .
Tom really enjoys the practical side of the Apprenticeship and the sense of achievement he gets from the work he carries out . He said , “ One of the first jobs I tackled was
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‘ The money took the pressure off us at the outset because I was showing Tom how to do things , I was working two or three times slower than usual , so productivity was down
’ helping to rebuild a garden wall just across the road from college . Now , every time I walk past it , it ’ s good to know that I built it .”
Ian was delighted that his son wanted to follow him into the industry , and grateful for the financial support provided by the Hudson Contract Scholarship Scheme . He said : “ The money took the pressure off us at the outset because I was showing Tom how to do things , I was working two or three times slower than usual , so
productivity was down . However , that good basic grounding is now paying dividends , because he ’ s now fully up-to-speed . In fact , he completed about 50 % of the brickwork on our current project .”
In the long-term , Tom hopes to progress to an advanced bricklaying course , and maybe at some point apply his trade and site knowledge as a building inspector .
www . hudsoncontract . co . uk
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