Blog: Apprenticeship Initiative SECBE Awards 2019 finalist - Lee Marley & Brooklands College

16 April 2019

sponsored by CoTrain

*** WINNER *** Lee Marley Brickworks (LMB) & Brooklands College Apprentice Partnership: LMB believes that the partnership with Brooklands is an exemplar programme.

• A senior director devises the curriculum, giving real buy-in by staff and career development inspiration to the apprentices.
• Brooklands has prioritized the employability of its students and has been proactive in enhancing its syllabus to focus on modern methods of construction such as: installing steel masonry support systems, fire-socks/fire stopping, damp proof courses (both in situ and pre-formed), insulation installation, tie fixings, wind-post installation, blockwork, multiple styles of pointing, specialty bricks (glazed & specials) off-site components (brick clad arches, lintels, soffits, etc) and quality assurance techniques.
• High quality teaching at college and productive experience on site (with a 4-day week) enables apprentices to progress rapidly.
• LMB has committed to take all apprentices on the brickwork programme from Brooklands and offers a progressive payment policy to reward students' productivity. The size and variety of work undertaken by LMB allows apprentices to be confident that they can develop a career in bricklaying, especially with the company.
• Dedicated in-house staff to oversee development. All of which are former apprentice bricklayers.
• High levels of pastoral care. Transitioning from college to working life can be a shock, particularly in physical environments such as construction. LMB have learnt that you cannot just expect apprentices to fit in immediately. They need support and teaching about things that older workers take for granted – such as opening a bank account and understanding their pay, working hours, how to travel to work, client health and safety expectations as well as behaviour onsite, and drug and alcohol testing.

LMB has learnt that that the key is to find a like-minded college with committed staff. A high level of commitment and cooperation from those groups readily translates into engaged and rapidly developing apprentices and crafts people.

Highlights

• A progressive syllabus that can continually adapt to modern methods of construction
• Constant interaction and dialogue between apprentices, LMB and Brooklands.
• The ability for apprentices to progress quickly, increase earnings, have a secure career path, develop additional skill sets and the ability to progress into management.

For more details:

Visit Lee Marley 

The SECBE 2019 Apprenticeship Initiative Award is sponsored by CoTrain.