On Monday 18 August, the Growth Company Education and Skills hosted the launch event for its new Shared Apprenticeship Programme in partnership with Athena and leading construction contractor SISK.
Held at the Growth Company’s head office in Manchester, the event brought together construction employers and representatives from Manchester and Trafford Councils to hear how the innovative new delivery model will help address skills shortages within the sector.
The Shared Apprenticeship Programme sees the Growth Company act as the training provider, delivering high-quality apprenticeship training aligned to industry needs. Apprentices are employed directly by Athena, who manage payroll and HR support, while SISK, as the main contractor, coordinates placements across its network of subcontractors, giving apprentices the opportunity to gain diverse on-site experience on major projects.
Speaking at the event, Gavin Bridge, Commercial Director of GC Education & Skills, and Katherine Bollard-Wilkes, Regional Social Value & Stakeholder Manager at SISK, outlined the programme’s benefits for employers, apprentices and the wider region.
“This model offers a flexible and low-risk way for construction employers to take on and develop apprentices,” said Gavin. “By working in partnership with Athena and SISK, we’re able to give young people high-quality training and exposure to a range of real-world construction environments, while helping employers across the supply chain to plan their workforce sustainably.”
Katherine Bollard-Wilkes added: “The Shared Apprenticeship Programme enables us to deliver real social value across our projects, supporting local talent to access meaningful careers in construction and helping to build the next generation of skilled workers.”
Westley Robinson, Work and Skills Specialist at Manchester City Council, added:
“We’ve seen the shared apprenticeship model work incredibly well at higher levels – particularly across professional pathways like design, project management and quantity surveying – and it’s exciting to see this approach now being applied to the more practical trades. The real benefit is the flexibility it gives both employers and apprentices. Employers can reduce risk, access a wider talent pool and ‘try before they buy’, while apprentices gain exposure to different workplaces and can find the right long-term fit for their career. With the sector continuing to face skills shortages, this provides a fantastic alternative solution.”
Are you an employer interested in finding out more?
Email us at: business@gceducationandskills.ac.uk
You can also download the brochure here.