Celebrating National Apprenticeship Week

February 2022

To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week and all of the great apprentices we currently have employed across Blenheim Park Estates and Blenheim Park Developments, we asked our apprentices some questions that may help others who are at the stage of considering whether an Apprenticeship is right for them.

Within Blenheim Park Developments, we currently have eight apprentices, all of which are undertaking different courses to help benefit them in their future careers.

Firstly, we spoke with Will Dunphy who is completing an Agriculture and Horticulture Apprenticeship.

What are your favourite aspects of your job role and Apprenticeship learning?

“Being given time to study alongside working helps me gain qualifications whilst getting on-the-job experience. Specifically, within my duties at Blenheim, I enjoy seeing the projects develop over time from start to finish, and find satisfaction in being involved with the construction of those. I also enjoy working with my landscaping colleagues and admire the expertise that they display when it comes to the methods used for completing tasks.”

Connor Torr is our Painting and Decorating apprentice and was asked:

How do you feel that being able to put what you learn on your course into practice, with Blenheim Park Developments, helps you to progress your skill set?

“By learning proper techniques, it allows me to get straight on with the job at work and prevents time being wasted. My course goes into depth on why we do things a certain way; such as prepping a surface instead of just how to do it. I have also begun learning skills such as cross lining and applying wood chip paper, which will be useful knowledge to have later on in my career. I have learnt things on my course that I haven’t yet done on site, so this will be beneficial when I need to complete these tasks.”

At Blenheim Park Developments we have three Joinery Apprentices, two which are Finley Gold and Jak Cassanelli.

Finley was asked:

Do you find that the knowledge that you gain from the education area of your Apprenticeship helps you to confidently undertake tasks in your job role?

“My Apprenticeship learning helps me to detect defects and have a better general understanding of the timber I’m working with and their uses. It also helps me improve the consistency and accuracy of my marking and setting out.”

Jak was asked:

How do you feel that working with other qualified Joiners assists you in learning your trade skills?

“I enjoy working on site with other qualified joiners because they can show me the correct way to work due to all of the experience they have. I also enjoy working with them because every joiner works differently, so you can learn little details from others and use it in your own work. Qualified joiners also know how to act on site and they teach you the basics of how to conduct yourself while at work and meet the standards that they all work to.”

Adam Stubbs is our Bricklaying Apprentice who was asked to tell us about a piece of work he is proud of.

Is there a specific piece of work you have completed in your job role that you are proud of and how did your Apprenticeship learning enable you to do this?

“My Apprenticeship enabled me to do my first block wall because I’ve watched the other bricklayers, Reece and Luke, very carefully when they’ve been laying, so I took it upon myself to have a try and I did a good job. I’m very proud of myself!”

At present, we have one apprentice at Blenheim Park Estates - Sophia who is in the last few months of her Digital Marketing course.

How are you feeling in the build-up to completing your Apprenticeship and how do you think your course has set you up for a career in Digital Marketing?

“The Digital Marketing course I have undertaken has taught me a lot about the world of marketing, which has allowed me to incorporate new skills and ideas within the business. This has increased my overall confidence in a work environment and I feel I have settled in well with the team. I am very excited about the build-up to the completion of my apprenticeship and I believe I've taken the right path towards a marketing career.”

Across all of our companies, we strongly believe in the benefits that employing apprentices has on our business and have experienced these first-hand, such as bringing new ideas and knowledge to the team and having staff that have skills tailored to our company. Over the years in which we have employed apprentices, we have had many success stories. We have had apprentices that have completed their course and then become a full-time employee who is fully equipped and trained with the skills and knowledge to do their job role to a high standard. As an employer, we would encourage people of all ages to consider an Apprenticeship because there is a course for everyone and it allows people to take the first step into their career.