LEADING residential developer Taylor Wimpey is helping to increase awareness of the benefits of apprenticeships and traineeships following this year’s National Apprenticeship Week.

The theme of the week is ‘Rise to the top!’ – showed how apprenticeships offer young people a wide variety of life-changing opportunities, enabling them to take work-based routes into successful careers.

And this is certainly the case at Taylor Wimpey, which has seven trade and site management apprentices working for its Oxfordshire regional business, which is building new homes across Oxfordshire and Wiltshire.

Last month's National Apprenticeship Week 2016, is aimed at celebrating apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the economy.

Taylor Wimpey is fully committed to supporting the initiative and offers a choice of different schemes which provide opportunities to a very wide cross-section of candidates with a diverse range of skills and aptitudes:

• Trade Apprentices learn skills such as bricklaying, carpentry or joinery – there are currently four trade apprentices working across the Oxfordshire region.

• Site Management Apprentices gain the knowledge and experience they need to progress to become a Site Manager, with three currently following this training route in the region.

Jasmine Humphrey (21), Henry Goodall (19) and Ruben Cunniappen (27) are all apprentice assistant site managers for Taylor Wimpey Oxfordshire.

Ruben, who is based at Southmoor Grange in Southmoor, says: “I have always had an interest in construction, and after buying my first home at Great Western Park from Taylor Wimpey I knew this was an area I wanted to work in. The housing market in the UK is booming so it looked like good career to go into.”

Meanwhile, Jacob Dixey (18), an apprentice carpenter based at Boundary Park at Great Western Park, Didcot, says: “I thought this was a great opportunity as Taylor Wimpey is a well-known company worldwide.”

Nikki Gibson, Sales and Marketing Director for Taylor Wimpey Oxfordshire, says: “More and more young people are realising that apprenticeships are the ideal way to kick start their careers – they really do open doors that would otherwise stay closed, offering a whole host of life chances.

“Our apprentices thrive thanks to the opportunities they’re given to develop their skills and progress their careers.

"By devoting our time, resources and funding to their training, we’re investing in their future success – and that of the company, our wider industry and the economy as a whole.”

Across Britain, the housebuilder recruited a total of 69 trade apprentices during 2015, bringing the total number of trade apprentices employed across the business during the year to 168.

The company is reaping the rewards of its site management apprenticeship initiative, which was launched in 2013.

A total of 29 apprentices were recruited under this scheme in 2015.

Further information about National Apprenticeship Week is available by visiting the website at apprenticeships.org.uk Details about apprenticeships and other career opportunities within Taylor Wimpey are available online at the website taylorwimpey.co.uk/careers