Redrow Homes

Leading housebuilder Redrow building success with apprenticeships

Over the course of its 45-year history, one of the largest housebuilders in the UK has incorporated apprentices as a key element of their workforce.

With its head office based in Ewloe, Redrow nurture eager Welsh talent developing them into prominent positions throughout the business in departments ranging from construction, IT and sales.

More than 15% of Redrow’s employees are either apprentices, graduates, or trainees. Ian Randell, new entrants officer said: “We find apprenticeships are an incredibly cost-effective way of recruiting. We invest in the individuals but then from a wider point of view, these colleagues then grow with us and go on to make significant contributions to our business. Many of our senior roles within the company, such as site managers, are filled with individuals who began as apprentices themselves. That’s why when we hire apprentices, we foresee them as the building blocks for the continuous success of the business.

“Apprenticeships allow us to train staff from the offset and this succession of talent has worked well for us as a company.”

Ian continued: “The Apprenticeship Programme enables us to tailor the skills of our employees to suit the business’ needs. We work closely with our training providers, Coleg Cambria, JTL and CITB to customise our Training Programmes to help plug the skills gaps within the sector. We also have in-house programmes in place, so the support available to our apprentices is endless.”

Redrow currently have 19 apprentices in Wales, in a variety of job roles. Ian said: “In Wales, we have roles across our Trade Apprentice Programmes and Business Support Programmes. We’re also piloting a customer service apprenticeship which we’d like to develop further in the future. Our talent forecasting team are always looking to expand our use of apprenticeships into other areas of the business, bringing in new people and developing existing staff.

“Apprentices positively impact the company, especially when we work on large-scale projects. They bring a unique voice to their teams by challenging existing ideas and offering new, innovative solutions. They’re gaining business experience and qualifications as well as progressing within the business.

“The excitement they bring is infectious; the whole workforce benefits from having apprentices on board. Those with more experience within the business can become mentors to our apprentices, which works both ways as it allows early management responsibilities for existing staff as well as the training of fresh talent.

“As a large organisation, we have a corporate social responsibility to give something back to the community and investing in young people is an important pillar. We witness the benefits of this day in, day out.”

Adding to Ian’s comments, Anna Milne, head of talent at Redrow, said: “Apprentices have always been an intrinsic part of our workforce. They’re valuable employees who bring new ideas and fresh skills to our teams. We have a big passion for nurturing young talent and we have specific teams which work on providing these opportunities within Redrow. I would encourage any business, whether big or small, to consider apprenticeships as part of their recruitment strategy as they really do make a significant difference to our company.”