Graham Plumbers’ Merchant is supporting the construction industry’s younger generation by offering an apprenticeship scheme that provides people with their first steps into the business.
The 12-month scheme allows the apprentices to engage in various different tasks to gain valuable skills for the future.
Apprentices gain experience in customer service and stock management, and partake in useful training sessions on Graham’s wide range of products and the plumbing industry.
Joe Griffiths, an apprentice at the company’s Plymouth branch, spoke about his favourite part of the role. He said: “I really enjoy the practical element - I feel I am able to gain better experience of what it is like to work in a busy environment with a practical hands-on approach, rather than being taught in a classroom.”
The apprenticeship scheme has also had a positive effect on Graham’s already accomplished staff. Ian Cockerill, Branch Manager in Plymouth, spoke with enthusiasm and said: “It invigorates youth and gets young people involved in plumbing, which is great. Our apprentice gets stuck in and does a bit of everything, from deliveries to working on the counter. He helps us out and he learns a lot.”
The scheme has seen some great success. For instance, Zach Taylor began his career as an Apprentice Estimator, and is now an Estimator based in Eastbourne. He also won the Graham Heroes Rising Star Award in 2015. Zach’s accomplishments convey the real impact of apprentices and the overall effect they have on Graham as a business.
