18 new apprentices have jumped on board with Yorkshire Housing, taking the current working total to 36! This represents over 5% of our workforce, which is more than double the target of 2.3% set for public sector organisations.
Apprenticeships with Yorkshire Housing allow people to gain hands-on experience working in a job they’re interested in whilst also earning a wage, developing skills, and gaining a qualification.
Housing is so much more than bricks and mortar. We offer a range of apprenticeships across the organisation from trade roles in gas and plumbing, to digital marketing and finance. They combine hands on training with studying and usually take between two and four years to complete.
Since 2007, we’ve had 134 apprentices join us and over 70% have stayed with us in permanent roles which shows just how committed we are to developing local talent and building a workforce that’s fit for the future.
Kiran Olak, who leads the apprenticeship programme at Yorkshire Housing, said:
“We’re keen to give people of any age the opportunity to begin their career in housing. That’s why we’ve already increased investment in our apprenticeship programme by 60% this year and we’ve now got more apprentices than ever before.
“Our apprentices are given the opportunity to gain a fully funded nationally recognised qualification, alongside real hands-on work experience with our teams across the business.
“They make a real difference to our business and customers – they work, collaborate, and learn, and I’m looking forward to watching how they develop and grow over the next few months.”
Our apprenticeship scheme is also helping us to create a more diverse workforce. According to the latest ONS figures just 1% of all skilled trade professionals working in the UK are female.
Imogen, who’s just joined Yorkshire Housing as an apprentice electrician, said:
“I’m really looking forward to getting stuck in and learning the ropes of being an electrician. The new apprentices were given a huge warm welcome at The Place where I met loads of people, and everyone was so friendly.
“I chose to join Yorkshire Housing because of how much they care about colleagues and the structure they have in place. They’re very accommodating to everyone and really care about a work life balance.”
Travis Perkins Managed Services, the builders’ merchant, has kindly donated toolkits to our apprentices this year, to support them on the job.
If you’re interested in a career with Yorkshire Housing keep up to date with new vacancies by signing up to job alerts or follow us on social media.