Following the Government’s announcement to prioritise the skills agenda in the hope it will provide solid employment opportunities, Ibstock-based M-EC, one of the region’s leading consulting development engineers, has launched an in-house apprenticeship scheme to help youngsters enter the construction industry.
M-EC is offering three year apprenticeships to provide aspiring civil engineers with the opportunity to gain practical experience at the same time as pursuing academic qualifications. 18 year old Jake Poulton, from Ratby, is the first student to commence the scheme, beating off competition from over 50 applicants, demonstrating a career in construction remains a popular choice for school leavers.
Jake began his apprenticeship last month (September 2012) and is shadowing all divisions of the practice including civil & structural engineering; transport; flood risk & drainage; sustainability and geotechnics to gain a versatile and competent understanding of the role and the expertise M-EC offers its clients. Jake’s in-house training will be supplemented by day release at Stephenson College, Coalville, where he will study for two qualifications; a BTEC National Diploma Level 3 in Construction and the Built Environment and a Level 3 NVQ in Construction Contracting Operations.
“I’ve always taken an interest in Geology so when I was looking at possible career opportunities, civil engineering seemed a logical choice as it encompasses everything within that subject and more,” explains Jake. “I am really proud to be the first apprentice at M-EC and I’m looking forward to starting my training and learning from all my new colleagues.”
Jake is being mentored by M-EC’s managing director, Eddie Mewies and during his first months, will also be learning how to prepare PQQ tender documents and working with autoCAD design software.
Eddie said: “The business has enjoyed a steady momentum of growth in the past few years, so we felt the time was right to launch our apprenticeship programme and continue our expansion plans. Jake is exactly the type of candidate we were looking for; he has a mature work ethic, is level-headed and enthusiastic. We are confident he will develop into a real asset for M-EC.”
Gary Hancox, director of business development at Stephenson College added: “We are delighted to be working with M-EC who recognise the importance of training and development and have demonstrated their commitment by taking on Jake as an apprentice. We have a number of national contracts for apprenticeship delivery however it is pleasing to work with a growing local company in such a sought after area of work. Jake has been successful through a very rigorous selection process and we wish him all the best for his career with M-EC.”
