Covers Timber & Builders Merchants has announced that it has employed three young people who successfully completed a special one-year apprenticeship scheme, operated by Covers in association with a number of national apprenticeship and workplace training providers, including Smart Training and Recruiting.

The three successful apprentices are now working at the following Covers depots: Harry Crockett in Portsmouth, Max Langridge in Brighton and Lewis Tamblyn in Portsmouth.

During the one-year training scheme, the apprentices learnt about all areas of Covers’ business, including the counter, yard and sales office, whilse also undertaking an NVQ Level 2 in Customer Service. With continual assessment throughout, apprentices studied for product knowledge modules and where appropriate, were given forklift training to obtain the relevant licenses.

Rhea Sampson, human resources and training manager for Covers said: “As a company, we like to invest in training our staff, to ensure that we have the very best and most talented people in our teams. Unfortunately it can be very difficult for young people to get onto the career ladder when they leave education. Our apprenticeship scheme provides a great opportunity for young people to earn while they learn – acquiring new skills and qualifications whilst gaining experience and confidence in the workplace and progressing within our business. We have a number of spaces available for our next intake of apprentices and we urge interested individuals to contact us as soon as they can.”

Covers’ apprenticeship scheme is aimed at individuals under 24 who are looking for a career offering progression.