Hudson Contract Apprentice Sponsorship Update

Meet Alex, Tony & Joseph

Hudson Contract-sponsored apprentices Alex Booth, Tony Naylor, and Joseph Brown have just finished their first year at college.  Here’s an ‘end-of-term’ report from their employers – and the lads themselves:

Alex Booth and Tony Naylor are both 17-years-old, both on the same electro-technical apprenticeship with employers from Whitby, North Yorkshire, and both on the same course at Scarborough TEC – but the links don’t end there!  

Their employers Nicky Baxter and Ethan Hume also know one other.  And in fact, the two of them decided to take the plunge together after a conversation weighing up the pros and cons of taking on their first apprentices.

“I had been thinking about for about six months, but was concerned that there wouldn't be enough work,” Ethan explained.  “Then I got talking to Nicky, who said he had had two promising lads on work trial but only had capacity for one apprentice, so I decided to go ahead, too.”.

Nicky adds:  “Since then, the extra pair of hands has made a real difference to my business.  But getting the right person is key – and I’m very pleased with my apprentice.”

From Alex and Tony’s perspective, they both get an excellent variety of work with their employers, but due to tight on-site deadline pressure, there isn't always time to explain everything in a technical detail – and that’s where college comes in.

Our third featured apprentice, Joseph Brown, also in Whitby, is an apprentice plumber with his father’s firm.  Joseph’s original career plan after A levels was to become a town planner, but he wasn’t quite convinced.  “I thought it was important to learn a trade first, and then my dad offered to take me on, just like his father – my grandfather – had done for him.

“Because I’m apprenticed to a small family business, and working in a rural community, I’m learning more than just plumbing, which will set me up well in life,” Joseph adds.  “Our business needs to be flexible.  For example on my current job, we have installed a boiler and solar panels, along with two new bathrooms, including tiling and hanging doors.  It’s all great experience for someone like me who is eager to make his way in the industry.”

Hudson Contract Chairman David Jackson adds:  “We’re all delighted at the way Alex, Tony and Joseph have worked and studied over the past year.  It’s what our sponsorship scheme is all about.  To date, we have helped more than ninety youngsters take their first steps in construction further batch of twenty will be supported in the new academic year. 

“We are so encouraged by seeing the difference that a modest degree of financial support can make that we are now in the early stages of extending our scheme to include an additional ten apprentices in Leeds, and hope to have details in the not-too-distant future.” Read more here