Tarmac apprentices hoping for success

Nine apprentices from company’s Birtley office competing for ‘Apprentice Team of the Year’ title

A TEAM of nine young apprentices based at Tarmac’s Birtley office is hoping for success after entering a prestigious national award scheme.

The nine apprentices, who are competing with more than 80 teams of apprentices from across the North East and Yorkshire in the Brathay Apprentice Challenge 2016, will be undertaking a series of work-related challenges, designed to test a range of skills including team-building, leadership, logistical and communications.

The Tarmac team is made up of intermediate and higher apprentices in operational, management and engineering roles.

Commenting on the challenge, team member James Stonier (pictured), an operations management higher apprentice, said: ‘It’s really rewarding to be able to provide guidance to young people in a similar position, and promote apprenticeships by explaining my pathway and what I’ve gained as a result.

‘I was unsure of what I wanted to do when I left school and my apprenticeship has provided me the career path and skills I was looking for.’

As one of their first challenge activities, The Tarmac team hosted a business breakfast on 12 April, bringing together directors from local businesses and apprentices to discuss importance and benefit of apprenticeship schemes.

The team will also be involved in supporting community projects, organizing a careers open day and arranging a series of job swaps for Tarmac’s senior leadership team who will become apprentices for the day.

The nine apprentices will find out whether they have made it to the national finals of the competition in May, before finalists compete in team-building challenges at Brathay Trust’s Windermere HQ and the winners are crowned in June.

The Birtley team is part of Tarmac’s wider apprentice population. The company has recently announced the creation of up to 50 new apprenticeships for 2016, including nine higher apprentices.