Phelan Construction has showcased its commitment to developing its people by joining The 5% Club, an industry-led initiative focussed on driving momentum into the recruitment of apprentices, graduates and sponsored students.
The 5% Club is a movement of more than 300 employers providing ‘earn and learn’ opportunities to develop the skills and talents people need to become more employable and create meaningful careers. Companies joining The 5% Club commit to raising the number of apprentices, sponsored students and graduates on formal programmes to 5% of their total workforce within five years. Members are also asked to publicly report their progress in their Annual Report. Existing members range from SMEs to FTSEs and cover a number of diverse industries, from engineering through to the legal sector.
We at Phelan have taken this move because we want to grow the young people in our local community. The Tendring area has always had a higher than average unemployment rate, and though this can be down to a number of factors, we want to do our bit to give talented young people of the area the opportunity of a rewarding career in construction.
Our commitment to construction education runs deeper than the 5% club. Last year, Phelan began a sponsorship deal with Colchester Institutes’ Clacton Campus, the branch of the college that specialises in the construction courses for young people. Our objective in doing this is to encourage more people into the industry and bring talented graduates from these courses to Phelan. Phelan has also promised apprenticeship places for students and the sharing of resources.
Neil Coy, MD of Phelan construction said;
“Apprenticeships are very important not only for young people but for the industry at large. How else will we get the talented Quantity Surveyors, Site Managers and Contracts Managers of tomorrow? We look forward to seeing what young local talent we can find.”
Lady Cobham, Director General of The 5% Club, said;
“We’re delighted to welcome Phelan into membership. The 5% Club provides a fantastic network of HR professionals, sharing and learning from each other. All our members share an ethos of creating a skilled workforce through ‘earn and learn’ development programmes, helping people develop meaningful career paths.”
If you would be interested in doing an apprenticeship with Phelan, please send your name and contact information, along with a written statement outlining your education and your reasons for wanting to do a construction apprenticeship to [email protected]. All applications received will be reviewed in May 2019, after which successful applicants will be contacted to interview.
To find out more information about The 5% Club and how to become a member, please visit www.5percentclub.org.uk or get in touch by emailing [email protected]. Information about the campaign can also be found on Twitter and LinkedIn.