Ahead of National Apprenticeship Week a growing Cambridge construction company is highlighting the crucial role apprentices play in its future success.
CamProp Construction, which redevelops brownfield sites into modern facilities like offices and labs supporting Cambridge’s dynamic economy, has been working with the Combined Authority’s Growth Works With Skills team and not-for-profit apprenticeship agency TrAC and its FutureIn project, which helps those from vulnerable backgrounds into apprenticeships.
The Combined Authority is working to increase apprenticeships in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough by working with both employers and individuals to support the ‘earn and learn’ route into the workplace.
For CamProp, apprenticeships are an investment in securing future talent, especially with known skills shortages affecting the construction industry. The Construction Industry Training Board estimates a need for 20,000 more skilled workers in the East of England by 2028.
One such apprentice is 23-year-old Omar, a Cambridge-born Civil Engineering graduate who undertook a construction course with The New Meaning Foundation before starting an apprenticeship with CamProp.
“The apprenticeship has really opened my eyes to what I wanted to do,” he said.
"It allowed me to experience different areas and fields of the construction industry and really helped me shape what I want my future to look like.”
Now focused on a career in project management, Omar is gaining hands-on experience in his two-year, Level 3 construction support technician apprenticeship delivered remotely by Learning Skills Partnership.
“A lot of people say to themselves, ‘why waste my time studying when I can be gaining experience?’, and a lot of people think, ‘I need to study to start on the path of gaining experience.’
“An apprenticeship really gives you the best of both worlds.”
Chris Wall, Construction Director from CamProp said apprenticeships offer a clear, sustainable way to address skills gaps.
“We see it as key to our future,” he said.
"We need to get younger people into construction and by investing in the apprentice scheme, we see this as a good way to do it.”
“On the construction management side of the business, there's an ageing workforce and bringing in new blood and younger people will help the future of CamProp Construction."
And for TrAC, there’s work to do on helping more people from diverse or vulnerable backgrounds get into apprenticeships.
Chris Homewood, Business Account Manager at TrAC, said: “It's very important to us that people from vulnerable backgrounds have the same opportunity to access apprenticeships and internships as everyone else. FutureIN exists to give them that chance. The FutureIN Steering Board, which includes Howard Group and Urban and Civic, plays in integral role in pushing this agenda forward and helping to secure placements for the people we support."
Jon Wynne, Senior Project Manager from CamProp, added: “We’ve worked with TrAC and FutureIn specifically targeting apprentices from a vulnerable background because being a Cambridge-based company, we feel it important that we give something back to the community we work in.”
Growth Works with Skills supports local employers, like CamProp, to navigate apprenticeships. The service helps businesses secure up to 100% of apprenticeship funding, connect with high-quality training providers, and align apprenticeships with their growth plans. Over the past year, it has facilitated 40 new apprenticeship starts, with an additional 30 in the pipeline. More than £400,000 in funding is currently available for employers and training providers via the Apprenticeship Levy share.
Dr Nik Johnson, Mayor of Cambridgehsire and Peterborough, said: “This is a great example of why the Combined Authority is backing more apprenticeships across the region. They offer incredible opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to build great careers while supporting employers’ growth plans. I encourage individuals and employers alike to explore the benefits of apprenticeships this National Apprenticeship Week and see how they can contribute.”
