Students at a local secondary school have been given an opportunity to quiz employees at Tarmac about the benefits of ‘earning and learning’ to mark the start of this year’s National Apprenticeship Week.
A group of year eleven pupils at Lyndon School, a local secondary academy primarily serving the Elmdon and Lyndon Wards situated near to Tarmac’s head office in Solihull, have been invited to grill some of the construction company’s current group of apprentices via video, to find out more about the world of work and some of the career opportunities available.
Clips of the Q&A will be shared on Tarmac’s social media channels to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week (8th to 14th February), providing an honest and first-hand insight into what it is like to work within the construction industry.
This year marks the 14th weeklong national celebration of apprenticeships and aims to encourage all businesses, family, and friends to consider how apprenticeships can help individuals build the skills and knowledge needed for a rewarding career. The official theme of the 2021 activity is to ‘Build the Future’.
Saniea Ahmed is an HR higher apprentice at Tarmac and helped answer questions. She said: “I have worked for Tarmac for five years now, but my journey is a little different to some as I didn’t start as an apprentice. I began my career as a customer services coordinator and then moved to become a transport planner within the distribution sector of the business. During my time in the role, I undertook Tarmac’s core skills development programme where I gained a real interest in HR.
“With the support and guidance of the team at Tarmac, I was able to take on my current role as HR higher apprentice and I haven’t looked back. Every day is different, and I get to work with people from different areas and backgrounds, which I really enjoy. The common misconceptions about gender-specific roles are steadily diminishing with more and more women choosing a career in construction. There are so many rewards and benefits of working in the industry and I definitely think it’s a career path worth looking into.”
Graeme Boylen, human resources director at Tarmac said: “We are really passionate about providing a wide range of career opportunities where people of all ages and backgrounds can thrive and develop. National Apprenticeship Week is a great opportunity to shine a spotlight on the exciting careers available within Tarmac and the wider construction industry, and especially fitting with this year’s theme, as we are literally helping to build the future by supporting the development of UK infrastructure.
“It has been great for some of the team to be able to engage with students at Lyndon School online, and we hope it encourages more interest in the great apprenticeships on offer.”
The opportunities on offer at Tarmac currently include six apprenticeships based at its Tunstead site in Derbyshire as well as two at its Aberthaw cement plant in South Wales. There will also be a range of additional exciting opportunities at several other Tarmac sites in the coming months.
Tarmac is a member of the Five Percent Club, a movement of employers providing ‘earn and learn’ opportunities to develop the skills and talents people need to become more employable and create meaningful careers. For more information, please visit www.tarmaccareers.com
