Get on course to an apprenticeship

A South London apprentice says a successful family business motivated him to start a career in construction – and now his aim is to inspire others to follow his example.

Alex Robertson grew up seeing his uncle’s business flourish, and this encouraged him to follow in his footsteps.

Now, Alex is an electrical supervisor with Croydon-based construction company Walter Lily and said he hopes his story will inspire others to start an apprenticeship.

Alex, who attends different building sites according to where his skills are needed, said: “My uncle was a painter, decorator and pipe fitter with a successful business, and this inspired me to get into something similar.

“I never took to conventional studying in the classroom. I was always motivated to work, so an apprenticeship gave me the best of both worlds.”

Thousands of roles need to be filled at building sites across London as research shows more than 4,000 jobs will need to be filled every year for construction projects to be completed on time.

A campaign has been launched by the South London Partnership (SLP) which is a collective of councils in the region, including Croydon, in a bid to meet these ambitious targets by highlighting the wide range of jobs that are available to apprentices in construction.

At the same time SLP is also hoping to encourage people in the construction industry to pass on their skills as college course tutors, citing great pay and flexibility that comes with the role.

Anyone interested in a career in construction is invited to an in-person careers fair at the TMWR Hub in High Street Croydon on Wednesday May 3 between 10am and 2pm.

For more information email csl@southlondonpartnership.co.uk or visit http://southlondonpartnership.co.uk/skills/mayors-construction-academy-hub/

Picture: Alex Robertson: Picture SLP