Apprentice Bailey Holland-Knightly, a 17-year-old female painter and decorator at Redrow’s Padcroft development in West Drayton, London, has been named overall national apprenticeship winner at leading housebuilder Redrow’s Apprentice Excellence Awards, held on Friday 13th of September.
The awards celebrate the hard work and commitment of all apprentices across Redrow’s business. In total, 24 apprentices from across the regional divisions were recognised for their enthusiasm and dedication to their chosen skill, with twelve crowned regional winners, while a further 12 took home highly commended certificates.
Each of the winning apprentices were nominated by their respective site managers. The overall winner, Bailey, was described by her site manager as ‘someone who demonstrated positivity and enthusiasm from day one, and treats every day as an opportunity to learn, support her colleagues and develop her skills’.
The ceremony was hosted by Regional Chief Executive Chris Lilley, with the awards presented by special guest and former professional football player, Joe Thompson. The apprentices’ family and friends attended the ceremony, alongside 11 of Redrow’s subcontractors from across England and Wales, who were also presented with awards in recognition of their support and commitment to the housebuilder’s apprentices.
Karen Jones, Group HR director at Redrow, said: “I would like to congratulate all of those who were recognised at this year’s Apprenticeship Excellence awards. Apprentices are not only at the heart of our business but are also a vital component for ensuring the success of our economy. This is why we’re committed to investing in the next generation of construction industry talent, and recognising those apprentices who are going above and beyond in their role to make a significant contribution to the site that they work on, and to the business as a whole.
“We received some phenomenal feedback on the apprentices enrolled across our divisions, with many nominees commended for their exceptional work ethic, dedication and positive attitudes. We look forward to seeing them continue to learn and develop their experience as they rise up through our business in the coming years.”
Redrow’s award-winning apprenticeship and trainee schemes are industry-leading and currently support almost 300 people in trade, administration, technical and commercial roles. Redrow has one of the industry’s best records for training and developing its staff, and as a member and patron of The 5% Club, Redrow is committed to ensuring at least 5% of its work force is made up of apprentices, graduates or sponsored students. Yet in practice, the business already goes far beyond this as 15% of the total workforce are trainees.
The apprenticeship scheme at Redrow provides young people, as well as those looking to make a career change, the opportunity to kick-start a successful career in a skilled trade, administration, or a technical or commercial role, through on the job training and classroom learning. Through the apprenticeship scheme, Redrow also supports entrants in obtaining an NVQ.
Bailey Holland-Knightly, apprentice painter and decorator at Redrow, and the overall national winner, commented: “Whilst at school, I was told by my teachers that I wouldn’t pass any of my exams and my career prospects were limited. It was only once I left school and started attending my local study centre that they introduced me to apprenticeship opportunities in painting and decorating at Redrow. I am therefore absolutely thrilled to be recognised in this way and am hugely excited about building my future in the housebuilding sector.”
Bailey joined Redrow as an apprentice at 16 and attends college classes once a week as part of her NVQ Level 2 qualification. During the rest of the working week, Bailey benefits from on-the-job training at Padcroft, where Redrow are providing one, two and three bedroom apartments. Over the last 13 months Bailey has also been given the opportunity to resit her Maths and English GCSEs. Despite claims from her school that she would never pass an exam Bailey already has her GCSE in Maths and is now studying for her English GCSE.
Bailey adds: “A lot of my friends decided to go to university, but full-time study has never appealed to me. Not only do I now feel in a far more financially stable position than many of my friends who have graduated with lots of debt, but I also love my job and really enjoy being hands on and creative. I honestly can’t wait to get up each morning to come to work.”
To find out more about the apprenticeship schemes available at Redrow, visit our careers page: https://www.redrowcareers.co.uk/apprenticeships-graduates-work-experience/apprentices/
Overall winner:
- West London – Bailey Holland-Knightly
Regional apprentice winners:
- Yorkshire – Lewis Moorehouse
- Eastern – James Birley
- South Wales – Jonathon Taylor
- West London – Bailey Holland-Knightly
- South Midlands – Luca Winkler
- Southern Counties – Alex Kinsman
- East Midlands – Luke Twigger
- Midlands – Alex Tracey
- South West – Harry Standen
- South East – Joe Murphy
- Lancashire – Lewis Cullen
- North West – Sam Greggans
Regional highly commended apprentices:
- Yorkshire – Richard Garner
- Eastern – Dan Mccaulskey
- South Wales – Ryan Payne
- West London – Akiel Lewis-Daniel
- South Midlands – Bradley Hanks
- Southern Counties – Josh Bruce
- Midlands – Dan Cottrill
- South West – Catherine Marshall
- South East – Billy Page
- Lancashire – Grant Parker
- North West – Rhys Baines
Regional subcontractor winners:
- Yorkshire – J N Dunn Plumbing and Heating
- Eastern – Steve Smith Brickwork
- South Wales – AJ Plumbing
- West London & Colindale Gardens – Wiltons Electrical
- South Midlands – The Harran Partnership
- Southern Counties – Renelec Building Services
- Midlands – Meer End Building Services
- South East – Bourne Carpentry
- Lancashire – M P Carroll
- East Midlands – AJW Carpentry
- North West – Ideal Electrical