We’re thrilled to announce that the Applebridge Family has been honoured with the ‘Commitment to Employee and Training Development’ award at the Generation4Change Awards 2024
At Applebridge, we believe in the power of education and opportunity. Our involvement with local schools and colleges to promote careers within construction is part of our commitment to reshaping the image of our industry. We aim to open doors for the next generation, showing them the potential and opportunities a career in construction can offer.
Our equal opportunities policy and our “speak-out” forum are crucial tools in our endeavour to create an inclusive and supportive environment. These platforms ensure every voice is heard and valued, contributing to our vibrant company culture and an impressive 85% staff retention rate. It’s clear that our focus on people not only enriches our team’s professional lives but also makes Applebridge a great place to work.
Andy Ray, our Group Operations Director, commented “Winning this award is a proud moment for all of us at Applebridge. It reflects our ongoing commitment to our team’s growth and development. Every day, we see the positive impacts of investing in our people, and this accolade from Generation4Change is wonderful recognition of our team’s hard work and dedication.”
Thank you to all our employees, whose hard work and dedication make all this possible!
We are thrilled to share the news of our recent membership in the prestigious 5% Club. This significant step forward aligns perfectly with our ongoing efforts to cultivate and invest in the future talents of the construction industry. As a contractor based in Middlesbrough and Yorkshire, we are dedicated to playing a pivotal role in shaping the next generation of skilled professionals.
The 5% Club is an influential and dynamic employer-led initiative, aimed at fostering a flourishing UK economy through extensive ‘earn and learn’ opportunities. As a new member, we have pledged that within five years, 5% of our workforce across our group of businesses will be engaged in apprenticeships, sponsored student programmes, or formalised training schemes. This commitment is a reflection of our strategic vision to nurture and support the upcoming generation of construction experts.
Our recent accolade as the 4th best SME Apprentice Employer in the UK in 2022 is a testament to our long-standing commitment to apprenticeship and training programmes. Joining the 5% Club is a natural progression of our commitment, further enhancing our role as a leader in innovation and growth within the construction sector.
Andy Ray, our Group Operations Director, expresses his excitement about this new venture, stating, “Joining the 5% Club marks a significant milestone in our journey towards empowering young talent. It’s not just about fulfilling a quota; it’s about nurturing a skilled, diverse, and dynamic workforce capable of propelling our industry forward. We are excited to embark on this path and look forward to making a substantial impact in the lives of our future professionals.”
In line with our commitment to the 5% Club, we will be providing transparent reports on our progress in our Annual Report or equivalent documents. This will ensure accountability and visibility of our efforts in advancing skills development.
This initiative is not just about business growth; it’s about contributing to the broader economic prosperity of our region. It is an embodiment of our commitment to driving sustainable growth and innovation within the UK construction sector.
The Applebridge Family & Applebridge Academy are delighted to announce that Applebridge Construction Ltd have been Ranked number 4 in the country for the new 2022 Top 50 SME Apprenticeship Employer rankings.
The rankings recognise employers for their commitment to employing apprentices, their creation of new apprenticeships, the diversity of their new apprentices, and the number of apprentices who completed their apprenticeships and progress further with the employer.
The goal of the Applebridge Academy is to work across the Family group to recruit, educate & support the development of new and existing staff members with the aim to provide a facility and support structure to recruit the next generation of Applebridge.
The Applebridge Family invests heavily in apprenticeships across the group and we would like to thank our very own Applebridge Academy for supporting the development of new and existing staff, our College, Training providers, and University partners who we work alongside on achieving such a great recognition.
Applebridge is ‘engineering the foundations of tomorrow, today.’
Northern construction group the Applebridge Family have given eighteen trainees and five trade apprentices the chance to ‘engineer the foundations of tomorrow, today’, by enrolling them onto bespoke training programmes and further education courses, across the North-East and Yorkshire.
The Applebridge Family works closely with multiple colleges and universities across Teesside, Newcastle, Durham and Yorkshire, creating tailored training programmes for trainees joining the businesses.
With an ageing workforce and skills gap within the construction, Applebridge feels the responsibility lies within the industry to create opportunities and to educate the next generation of workers.
The Applebridge Family recently teamed up with Hartlepool College of Further Education to offer six trainees a chance of a career in Construction.
The Applebridge students will work towards a Level 3 Diploma in the Construction and the Built Environment, the equivalent to two A-levels, and will cover a variety of topics such as project management, health and safety, construction technology and building technology, to enable them to become civil engineers, site managers and quantity surveyors.
Hartlepool College’s Head of Construction and the Built Environment, John Cartwright said: “The partnership with Applebridge will help to transform lives, as we look to get these apprentices on the road to construction management.
“It is a three-year course, and this is the biggest employer partnership the college has developed within construction.
Andy Ray, Construction Director of Applebridge, with members of Hartlepool College and some of the 2020/21 cohort of trainees.
During their course, each trainee will rotate within the business, gaining experience in multiple disciplines, both on site and in the office, creating a well-rounded construction experience. On completion of the course, each trainee will be placed in their favoured sector of the business, to further build upon their knowledge and skillset and to proudly follow the company culture, ethos, and work ethic.
Construction Director of Applebridge Construction, Andy Ray who works closely with colleges and trainees to design the bespoke training programmes, had this to say:
“We are delighted to welcome our latest cohort of trainees and apprentices into the business and look forward to seeing them develop over the coming months and years. Our latest management training programme builds on the success of previous years’ schemes where we have been proud to see our apprentices and graduates rise to the challenge and become essential members of the team.”
The Applebridge Family also has trainees enrolled onto Construction and Built environment courses at New College Durham and Sheffield College.
Education is extremely important to Applebridge, with a further eight employees enrolled onto further education courses, in a range of disciplines, including Accountancy, Quantity Surveying and Civil Engineering, at Northumbria University, Leeds Beckett University and Caplan Financial, Newcastle.
Covid-19 has caused a dip in the opportunities available for young people, however these training programmes can help to provide tomorrow’s workers a chance of a career in construction.
Additionally, The Applebridge Family invests heavily in trade apprentices, with five trainees currently enrolled onto Groundworks, Joinery, Plant Machinery and Bricklaying courses.
The Applebridge Family is made up of seven construction companies: ZTL, AD Plant, Applebridge Construction, Applebridge Building Services, Geocast, Retaining UK and Tarcon.
Applebridge is ‘engineering the foundations of tomorrow, today.’
