What Employers Say
Stacey Builders, Cranleigh
The first thing that apprentices learn at successful Surrey construction company Stacey Builders is to make everyone a cup of tea, but they go on to gain a host of skills that serve them for life.
Helping young people turn their lives around by learning a trade through apprenticeship is a passion of the company owners Bill Stacey and Ian Green who, in partnership with Guildford College, have trained 15 apprentices. The business specialises in refurbishments and extensions but also builds new houses and carries out repair and maintenance work. It employs 12 directly and uses three sub-contractors.
Bill and Ian are completely committed to apprenticeships. “We get all of our lads to do them. We aim to take on youngsters who might not have got on too well at school and need another chance in life and it works really well. It’s about giving them motivation, leadership and a goal in life. In recent years pupils have been bombarded with academic work at school and brainwashed into thinking they have to go to university, but not everyone is going to be a brain surgeon. There are now plenty of people in this country with a degree, no job and a massive student loan.”
Bill’s belief in apprenticeships began with his own experience. Having left school without qualifications, he joined the Royal Navy where he grew up quickly. “On leaving the navy I realised I needed education and went to college to learn construction. It’s not just about learning a trade but also the discipline of getting up in the morning, signing in at college, doing a good day’s work and going home satisfied.”
Apprentices, according to Bill and Ian, are loyal to their employers and the structured standard setting of the apprenticeship scheme is carried into the main workforce of the business with positive effects. “It gives us continuity of workmanship and allows us to train our staff to our needs. Each apprentice, no matter what trade they follow, is given a very good basic knowledge of all aspects of the building process, from laying drains to tiling a roof.”
Ben Grealis, 21, of Guildford, trained as an apprentice in bricklaying with Stacey Builders and Guildford College. After leaving school without GCSEs and lacking motivation, he had been sitting around at home. “I was going nowhere but Bill has pointed me in the right direction and now I’ve got my own place and my life has turned around,” he said.
Although he gained nine GCSEs, John Piper of Farnham had tired of study when he joined the Royal Navy at 17. After serving for over four years, he set about finding a new career in carpentry and was engaged as an apprentice by Stacey Builders. “I couldn’t be happier,” says John, 24, who excelled in his exams and may continue studying for an HND in Construction. “Apprenticeship offers a good balance. A classroom is good for theory but the work can be different on a building site. You also absorb information effectively because you are learning in small chunks.”
Bill Stacey believes businesses that don’t invest in their workforce are short-sighted, but he says it’s not only about the bottom line. “Watching someone learning and maturing into a skilled tradesperson and seeing them develop is immensely satisfying,” he says.
If you're interested in taking on an apprentice, please call Services to Business on Tel: 01483 44 85 30
or Email: employerenquiries@guildford.ac.uk|