Pre-employment programme for apprentice groundworkers gets underway

Yesterday (Monday 4 March), 13 applicants for our Apprentice Groundworker placements started a pre-employment programme with ARC Academy.

As part of our recruitment process for these apprenticeship positions, the two week-programme, which is being held at ARC Academy’s training centre in Treforest, will teach participants the essential skills that they require as an Apprentice Groundworker. It will include:

• CSCS apprentice tests to give participants the opportunity to gain their trainee CSCS card
• Small tools training, which includes how to use a whacker plate, a mixer and a disc cutter
• Common hand tools training
• Industry tools training
• Learning how to construct a walkway using three different methods - slabs, concrete and block pavers
• How to install kerbs and path edges
• Excavate and reinstate drainage trenches

 

At the end of the programme, the successful participants will secure a one-year apprenticeship course which starts on Monday 18 March. The course will provide them with the necessary work experience while spending one-day a week at ARC Academy’s training centre studying towards a Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Construction Operations and Civil Engineering Services and a BTEC Level 2 Diplomas in Construction Occupations. As well as gaining the necessary skills and knowledge, they will also learn about health, safety and welfare within the construction industry and gain an understanding of different construction technologies.

Although places are limited, the programme will provide key work experience and essential training that will help unsuccessful applicants secure a position with another employer.

Darryl Williams, Programme Manager at Y Prentis, said: “It’s been great working in partnership with ARC Academy to set up this course. The recruitment process so far has been very competitive, which just goes to show the abundance of local talent we have in our area. We have a number of enthusiastic and promising applicants signed up to the programme and I look forward to seeing what they achieve over the next two weeks.”

Apprenticeships will be carried out across the south-east Wales region with local contractors such as Pendragon Design and Build, Bouygues, DT Civil Engineering, Horizon Civil Engineering Darlow Lloyd and Morgan Sindall.