To coincide with National Apprenticeship Week 2019, property services specialist Ian Williams held its third Qualification Celebration Lunch at Bristol’s Ashton Gate Stadium.
The event, which was the largest yet and attended by 43 people, celebrated the company’s apprentice, trainee and staff achievers and recognised the vital contribution they make to the business. Ian Williams is committed to direct delivery of its services and has pledged that 10% of its total workforce is made up of apprentices. This programme is managed by the Ian Williams Academy, which delivered over 4,000 days of training and personal development in 2018.
At the event Ian Williams’ Training & Development Manager, Sian Pearce, said: “Now in its third year, the Qualification Celebration Lunch has truly become a high point in the Ian Williams calendar.
“By completing one of our Academy programmes, not only has everyone obtained a formal qualification which will stay with them throughout their career, they have also developed a deep understanding of our business and our culture which means, from day one of their formal employment, they are making a massive contribution to our business and we would not be able to do our work without them.
“Over the years I have become the biggest advocate for apprenticeships, but the amount of hard work and dedication required to complete a work-based qualification should not be underestimated. As well as the newly qualified trade operatives, staff and surveyors, we were also delighted to welcome three employees that have gained a formal qualification relevant to their current roles and have all undertaken this training outside of their normal roles. It is great to be able to expand our training opportunities to all our staff.
“The formal structure of apprenticeships may be under review but for Ian Williams it still remains very much at our core as we launch our 31 vacancies for the 2019 apprenticeship intake. None of this would be possible without the support of our Academy Officers — Jo Down and Katherine Brenner — and the Mentors, especially Andy Doyle who received the ‘Best Apprentice Mentor’ award in recognition of his dedication to enabling all his apprentices to be successful, so a special thanks to them too.”
Also in attendance at the lunch was Florence Hale, Apprenticeship Officer from the CITB, who said: “I was delighted to attend Ian Williams’ third Qualification Celebration Lunch as part of National Apprenticeship Week 2019. This is how the company celebrates the hard work and commitment of apprentices, trainee surveyors and staff who have completed qualifications programmes and I applaud companies that recognise their staff in this way.
“The CITB look forward to working closely with Ian Williams to fill this year’s apprenticeship vacancies which are now live at www.ianwilliams.co.uk/careers/current-vacancies/?job_type=77.”
