Seven apprentices are the first to graduate from a novel partnership between a civil engineering business and a college.
Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK and Coleg Cambria have modernised the way higher apprenticeships in civil engineering are delivered.
Traditionally, students would be on day release for the duration of the programme, spending four days a week on site with the company and the fifth at college.
Instead, the apprentices alternated between blocks of time at Coleg Cambria’s Bersham Road campus in Wrexham, where there is a dedicated room, and working on sites such as the world’s largest offshore wind farm, a £135 million bypass, a £32 million level crossing scheme, and complex landfill projects.
And the first seven higher apprentices from Ruthin-based Jones Bros have graduated after completing a four-year civil engineering course that began with a Higher National Certificate (HNC) and ended with a Higher National Diploma (HND).
Gary Salisbury, Gwion Euron Lloyd, Hari Wyn Evans, Chris Hunt, Reece Davies, Sion Gwilym Williams, and Rhys Williams are the seven civil engineers who are presently working on a variety of national projects with Jones Bros.
Gary, who lives in Mold, was overjoyed to be among the first students to complete the course.
“It’s fantastic to be part of the first group to qualify,” he said. “The way the course was planned out, in terms of blocks of study followed by blocks of onsite work, was ideal.
“When you were in the classroom there were no distractions from those onsite, you could focus solely on your education for that period.”
Jones Bros training manager, Garmon Hafal, said: “Jones Bros prides itself on providing young people with a chance of employment, learning skills, and recognised industry qualifications.
“This was the first time the course had been run in its current guise with blocks of learning followed by uninterrupted time onsite, and I am happy to see that it has been a success with seven of the intake qualifying.”
