In our next #BuildACareerWithoutLimits blog, Court Assistant Lucia Di Stazio and Vice Chair of the Education & Training Committee speaks to three present and past Polypipe apprentices to get the lowdown on their experiences of starting a career within the builders’ merchant supply chain.
You can also catch this article in Builders Merchants News – here – May issue page 13.
Investing in a pipeline of talent at Polypipe
Apprenticeships are an excellent way of attracting young people into our industry, and if these new starters are nurtured and given the opportunities to grow, they have the potential to become valuable assets to your business.
Investing in apprenticeships and other formal trainee programmes is already commonplace for some merchants and suppliers, who have effective systems in place to inspire and help young people grow in their roles. One such supplier is Polypipe, which has been running apprenticeship programmes for the last 7 years and has up to 25 apprentices in the business at any one time.
I spoke to three Polypipe employees – who all came into the business as apprentices or trainees – about their views on #BuildingACareerWithoutLimits in the sector.
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Callum Ward joined Polypipe Civils & Green Urbanisation as an apprentice in January 2019. After initially starting out in fabrication, Callum recently progressed to scheduling production and deliveries. The change allowed Callum to develop his skills in a new area of the business and expand his knowledge of the company’s operations. |
Callum says: “I applied for an apprenticeship as I was interested in manufacturing and engineering and Polypipe had a good record for its apprenticeship programmes. What I found was there is a lot more to manufacturing than meets the eye. I have learnt how to use different machines, and to understand order processing and the design elements for developing bespoke products. I really enjoy seeing the extent of work that goes into product development.”
Callum would like to see apprenticeships and different job opportunities in construction promoted much earlier in the careers curriculum, in secondary schools rather than colleges. His advice to other young people: “Don’t just think manufacturing is messy and dirty, and only about making products. The process of manufacturing is sophisticated and involves many stages before the product is actually made.”
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While Callum is just starting his career, Production Manager Ed Seville has been at Polypipe for seven years. Ed held several production-focused roles before being appointed to his current role, where he is responsible for manufacturing operations at the company’s Loughborough site. |
Ed says: “The career opportunities are almost limitless in our industry, and you can easily shift from one role to another so you don’t get stuck in one place. The skills you pick up are often transferrable too, so the product knowledge you gain from working with a manufacturer is invaluable.”
At Polypipe, apprenticeships are highly valued for all staff – not just new starters. Ed is about to finish a Level 5 apprenticeship in Operational and Departmental Management and he sees the benefits of formal training for his own development as well as in securing the business’ future prospects: “We have some highly trained and skilled technical people, supporting our development in areas of robotics, technology and digitalisation. Technology is the way forward and for that our industry needs young people,” he says.
Ed says the people at Polypipe encompass a mix of enthusiastic apprentices and the ‘old heads’ who have been there for up to 30 years. He would love to see more young people coming through the ranks and into the industry as a whole: “I’d like to get to a point where names like Polypipe are widely recognised and young people looking for an apprenticeship say; ‘that’s where I want to work’. To make that happen, we should be encouraging work experience in our sector and getting more merchants and supply chain companies to take on apprentices – the pay back is huge.”
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One person who can attest to the long-term value of apprenticeships is Ashley Bell, head of Health & Safety, Quality, Environment & People Development (HSQEP). Ashley joined Polypipe’s operations team 21 years ago as a summer job and worked his way up to team leader before moving over to roles in quality control and subsequently HSQEP.
Ashley is keen for people outside of the industry to understand the breadth of opportunities available in building materials supply, from marketing to engineering. |
He says: “There are so many opportunities to learn, develop and experience different jobs as I did. If you work with the right people, you can forge your own career path.”
Attracting young talent is also an important way for Polypipe to introduce new skills that challenge its own innovations and ways of working. “Over the last three years, we’ve been focused on advances in technology and making the working environment more exciting and innovative with smart technologies. This is important for attracting the next generation, who aspire to brands like Amazon and Apple. We need blue sky thinking in our sector and businesses too,” says Ashley.
The Polypipe apprentices, past and present, highlight the varied roles our industry offers, the ability to create your own career path in an industry which is often operating at the cutting edge of technology and innovation, and the need for young, enthusiastic people to come in and move businesses forward.
However, more needs to be done in schools and colleges to promote these exciting opportunities, and ensure more young people bring their talents to our industry to #BuildACareerWithoutLimits.
