Property maintenance specialists Bell Group are huge advocates for Apprenticeship programmes, and have a long-standing, positive relationship with City College Plymouth stretching back several years.
Bell Group is a family-owned company serving the whole of the UK, with branches from the north of Scotland to the south of England. At the heart of their ethos is a determination to “do the right thing”, be that through a high standard of work, community involvement, customer experience or a strong social conscience. An essential part of that is a commitment to Apprenticeships which means anyone starting an Apprenticeship programme plays an integral role within the business from day one. With more than 2,000 employees – many of whom are tradespeople – there is a call for the regular addition of apprentices as part of the organisation’s annual recruitment campaign.
The Plymouth brand of Bell Group specialises in painting and decorating services. Each year, the company has several apprentices at the College, where they benefit from world-class facilities and learning environments. Here, they develop essential planning, organisational and practical skills, while also advancing their hands-on technical abilities. As a result, they complete their Apprenticeship fully equipped to begin their careers as qualified painters and decorators.
This year, furthering the long-standing relationship, the College is home to another four Bell Group apprentices, who are learning painting and decorating. Karen Fletcher, the company’s Academy and Apprenticeships Co-ordinator, said: “Our work with City College began a number of years ago, with an initial requirement for a small number of apprentices, and since then we have worked together to develop an efficient process which works well for the College, the business and the apprentices.”
After establishing initial contact and interest, every candidate undergoes one week’s work experience, which involves real-world on-the-job work, which gives them a real insight into a number of disciplines. The process of choosing the best apprentices then begins, and the Plymouth branch will liaise closely with the College to put in place arrangements for each individual.
Karen added: “Our working relationship with the College is excellent; we have our own dedicated person allocated to the branch. Our apprentice mentors can go into the College on a regular basis, and because it’s a very local relationship, any issues or problems with apprentices can be resolved immediately. This is very important for us as a company because we want the very best training provision, and that can only happen if the process is embedded locally, and the communication and support is there when we need it. The College is just down the road, our sites are nearby so it just works well for everyone. The College understands the Bell business too, so they know the kind of people who will be a good fit for the business.”
Apprentices are seen as their “stars of the future”, and often go on to have long and successful careers with Bell, many taking up senior positions. And as a Platinum member of the ‘5% Club,’ Bell is committed to a target of at least five per cent of their workforce being apprentices, a figure which they significantly exceed year-on-year.
City College is one of 14 Bell Group Decorating Academies up and down the country. Through the Academy, Bell provides workshops to students across a number of courses, including T Levels. This gives students an insight into what is involved in careers such as painting and decorating, giving them a head start if they are thinking of pursuing a trade. The aim of the Academy model is to provide enhanced support to full and part-time students and teaching staff through the delivery of industry-specific masterclasses, workshops, employability skills sessions, improving employer engagement and student experience. All of the Academy work is carried out in close collaboration with the College, which can provide regular feedback on students to make the relationship as efficient as possible.
Karen says their Academies play an important role in trying to address the recruitment challenges facing the sector, giving potential future apprentices an insight into what’s involved, and understanding why having the right mind set and attitude is so important. She said: “The Academies allow us to start building a positive relationship with students by bringing an employer presence into their education early on.”
