Highways apprentices bridge skills gap

Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Services is helping to bridge the national skills and labour shortage the industry faces with a fresh intake of young apprentices from across North Yorkshire.

The three-year scheme gives the apprentices a strong grounding in all the industry basics, and gives them the skills they need for a career in highways, whilst based at depots across North Yorkshire and working on site, in gangs of no more than three, under the supervision of a mentor.

After successfully completing a six-week probationary period, apprentices receive 70 days' off-site training over the three years of the scheme, with the chance to complete an NVQ Level II in Highway Maintenance Operations through a process of on-site assessment.

Off-site training at Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Services (BBISL)'s training facility in Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire, is generally undertaken in seven 10-day modules over two years.

Apprentices then spend the rest of the programme gaining invaluable on-site experience.

During the programme, trainees learn a broad range of basic industry skills, including bricklaying, fencing, drainage and kerbing.

They are also taught First Aid and health and safety.

Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Services Health and Safety Manager, Edward Elwood, based in Northallerton said: "We urgently need the skills that our apprentices are developing to help fill a national labour shortage in our industry".

"We believe we are being particularly proactive in seeking out those young people who can best help us".

"The Company is delighted that these six apprentices are seizing the opportunity to gain qualifications and experience through BBISL's structured training programme.

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