FM Conway celebrate apprentice success
Fourteen young adults graduate from company apprenticeship scheme to take up full-time roles
FOURTEEN young adults have graduated from the apprenticeship programme at Kent-based infrastructure services company FM Conway. All 14 individuals will now go on to take up full-time roles in the business, including surfacing and finance positions, as they start the next stage of their careers in the construction industry.
FM Conway currently have 52 apprentices as part of a multifaceted training and development programme aimed at tackling the industry’s skills gap. This includes a higher education scholarship programme and mentoring scheme.
This year’s graduating apprentices recently celebrated their success with FM Conway’s chief executive officer, Michael Conway, at a special lunch event, where apprentice highways maintenance operative Tony Augustine was announced as the company’s apprentice of the year.
He joined the business in 2015 after completing a pre-employment course at the London Highways Academy of Excellence – a training academy set up by FM Conway, in partnership with The Worshipful Company of Paviors, to support young people looking to start new careers in the construction industry.
Mr Augustine has since become an integral part of FM Conway’s surfacing team, working on a number of high-profile contracts for the company, including projects across the Transport for London (TfL) road network.
Liz Garvey, head of human resources at FM Conway, commented: ‘The construction and highways industries are facing one of the worst skills shortages in living memory. It is vital that businesses do what they can to attract talented individuals and showcase the opportunities a career in infrastructure can offer for people at every stage of their professional development.
‘We need a wide-ranging approach to skills development if we are to make an impact, and engaging with young people via apprenticeship programmes is a key part of this. A number of FM Conway’s senior employees started their careers as apprentices and we hope this year’s graduates will remain with us for many years to come.’
