EN:Able Futures celebrates 10 years of supporting Northern construction industry apprentices

AWARD-WINNING flexi job apprenticeship agency EN:Able Futures CIC is celebrating a decade of providing apprenticeships – creating opportunities for nearly 500 people across the built environment sector.

Founded with a vision to provide value adding, high quality apprenticeships that lead to promising careers, in the last ten years the service, part of Efficiency North Holdings, has played an integral role in supporting 473 individuals through their qualifications and beyond.

The apprenticeship service operates across the north of  England and is flexible, allowing employers across the property and construction industry to take on apprentices for either the full training or just part of it.

Julie Deeley, director of operations at EN:Able Futures, said: “Reaching this milestone is a huge achievement, not just for our team but for all the apprentices we employ and companies that we partner with to host them. Through providing flexibility, we have removed one of the biggest barriers a business faces when considering having an apprentice as often a company can’t predict if they’ll be able to support them for the full duration of the apprenticeship.

“Our programme has been highly successful, and the numbers speak for themselves, with 98% of our apprentices who complete their training going straight into fulltime employment or higher education.”

EN:Able Futures acts as a collaborative partner throughout the apprenticeship, offering academic guidance and pastoral support to the individual. Additionally, they assist the host business in optimising the apprentice’s potential and ensure they provide exceptional on-the-job experience in exchange.

One of the scheme’s many successful participants is Katy Robinson, who started as an apprentice assistant quantity surveyor in 2017. She was hosted by Kitchen Civils, a civil engineering and industrial building projects company based in Newport, East Yorkshire and has since gone on to win a number of accolades for her work.

Katy said: “I was originally put off the idea of university due to the cost so I thought I’d look into apprenticeships. The only one available in my area at the time was in quantity surveying – I didn’t even know what it was.

“With the support of the team at EN:Able Futures I’ve found a real passion for the construction sector and love being out on site. I completed my apprenticeship, having had the opportunity to work in several departments, and achieved a Distinction Star grade, which has allowed me to go on to study a further HSC in Construction Management and go into a career in the industry.”

Now Katy has progressed to become a senior project manager with East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s infrastructure and facilities service. Since 2017 she has won four industry awards, most recently being nominated in the National Federation of Builders’ Top 100 Most Influential Women in Construction.

Lee Parkinson is chief executive of Efficiency North Holdings, which is a membership-led consortium and holding company of EN:Able Futures. It offers a range of professional services to save time and money, add social value and support social and economic regeneration in communities in Northern England.

He said: “We’ve seen a huge rise in demand for construction apprentices over the last decade, from administrative roles through to technical positions, and for good reason. More and more businesses are seeing the benefits of investing in inexperienced young people, who turn into well-rounded team members with plenty of practical experience and the qualifications to back it up.

“We look forward to supporting many more host companies and individuals for the next ten years and beyond.”