With a direct workforce of over 2,000, Ardmore is a major employer in the construction industry and is currently on site with more than thirty projects across London. It confirmed seven new major regeneration appointments in November, putting it at 4th place in the Glenigan construction industry league table, and as a result will be recruiting 30 new apprentices in the New Year. They will need to be local residents in London Boroughs of Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith, Greenwich, Hackney, Enfield, Lewisham and Richmond.
Ardmore currently employs 50 apprentices covering all traditional trades, including carpenters, electricians, painters & decorators and plumbers. The company is committed to sourcing and employing local labour and the majority of its apprentices – five of them women – have been recruited through local education business partnerships, with buy-in from educational establishments and the local community. They are overseen by Ardmore’s full time employment & skills co-ordinator.
Ardmore develops employment & skills programmes for each of its projects, to include initiatives with local schools and colleges as well as work placements and apprenticeship schemes. For example, on-site at 150 High Street Stratford, the programme includes design and construction workshops for primary school pupils as well as work placements for under graduates, site visits and educational workshops for local colleges. Six students from Newham New Directions designed and built an on-site classroom during a two-week placement under the supervision of Ardmore’s skilled tradesmen. Two of the students have since been offered full apprenticeships at Stratford, working with 23 apprentices who were recruited through the Construction Skills Certification Scheme.
Ardmore’s award-winning approach is widely recognised. In recent weeks it was presented with the Employer Excellence Award by the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London for its work with seven apprentices. Earlier this year it received two awards and special recognition for its contribution to employment, training and skills during the Olympics construction project, presented by the National Skills Academy. The two awards were the Outstanding Apprenticeship Achievement Award and the Women into Construction Award, for providing employment opportunities for women and for creating opportunities to gain experience in the construction industry.