Travis Perkins has celebrated the graduation of 95 management apprentices this year. This commitment by Travis Perkins is intended to help develop future talent and close the skills gap in the construction sector.

The company is keen to ensure a diverse range of applicants to the programme and this year has seen women make up 22% of the 2016 graduate trainee intake, and the majority of graduates are aged between 19 and 24 years. As a result of the scheme, which was launched in 2011, graduates are equipped to take businesses within the Travis Perkins group forward, as the next generation of managers.

A management apprentice at Travis Perkins will earn in the region of £36,000 over the two years that they are studying, while safe in the knowledge that a job will be made available following completion of the programme, for successful candidates.

John Carter, chief executive of Travis Perkins, said: “We are one of a number of employers running our own internal apprenticeship programmes. While we focus on expanding our apprenticeship portfolio, this also helps us create a future management pipeline.

“By meeting the growing needs of our business we are also meeting government agenda of getting young people into work. I'm delighted to be celebrating this fantastic next step for our graduates and look forward to welcoming more into the programmes in the future.”