FAST-growing principal contractor Inco Contracts – with offices in Hatton, Warrington – has pledged to spend £150,000-a-year to help fight the worrying skills gap facing the construction sector.
Inco, which specialises in industrial,commercial and education refurbishment schemes – will boost spending on its early years talent academy as part of its 15th anniversary celebrations.
This will encompass a comprehensive programme, offering apprenticeships, on-the-job learning, formal qualifications and one-to-one mentoring from its senior leadership team.
It has been specially designed to attract individuals into the sector and, importantly, retain existing talent who are being tempted into different opportunities. By offering acceleration of their personal development and career path they can clearly see their future at Inco Contracts.
The Early Years’ Talent Academy has been a resounding success so far for the business, with six young people trained from the basics into highly skilled professionals and some already progressing into managerial positions.
Operations director Sam Norton said: “Skills are a growing issue for our sector and our ability to grow.
“Rather than stand still, we decided to take positive action and create our own training programme. ”
“This has been a fantastic initiative for attracting young talent to join us as a fledgling contractor and we wanted to further renew our commitment to this. Our 15th anniversary felt like the perfect opportunity to extend it by increasing the funding to £150,000.”
“We provide real project-based experience from day one, setting us apart from our competitors, with a progression pathway aligned with their personal goals. There is also company-funded education at college or university in place to deliver the best all-rounded team member.
“Annual growth is running at around 20 per cent and we can’t completely rely on the existing labour pool if we want to maintain this level of expansion. Growing our own talent is the preferred option to address the skills shortage and I’m delighted that we have given our proven scheme an ‘anniversary boost’.”
Managing director David Cotterill said|: “It’s well documented that the construction industry has been experiencing skills shortage issues for some time, so it’s crucial that we deliver talent from the ground up.
“By doing this we’re helping address the ‘gap’ and create opportunities for people who might otherwise be overlooked by the sector. Our goal is to make construction more accessible, modern and rewarding. In a tight labour market, the companies that invest in its people will be the ones that continue to thrive.”
William Quayle will become the latest recruit for the Warrington team when he joins as an apprentice estimator/quantity surveyor later this month.
He will spend the first two years studying towards his HNC at Warrington Vale Royal College, before moving onto a three-year degree at a local university.
Matthew Penswick, Inco’s regional director said: “Growing our own is extremely important for us as we can take a young person and help them and become part of our culture.
“William is the latest apprentice to join. He’ll get the very best mentoring, practical experience and funded further education that will hopefully see him become a highly qualified and valuable member of our team.”
For further information, visit www.incocontracts.co.uk
