Good news is buzzing in Manchester’s construction world! All the apprentices from the PlanBEE Manchester programme have landed jobs with some of the best companies in the field.
Where do PlanBEE apprenticeship graduates end up?
Big names like Turner & Townsend, Buro Happold, John Sisk & Sons, Eric Wright Construction, Ramboll, Places First, and Great Places Housing have welcomed these graduates with open arms. They’ll be working in construction and built environment roles like civil engineering, quantity surveying, construction management and building services engineering.
Back in 2021, Manchester Life, Manchester City Council, and Ryder Architecture teamed up to launch PlanBEE Manchester. The goal of this alliance was to help young people learn the ropes of construction and, ultimately, secure great jobs in the growing northwest building scene.
“Instead of attending university for a degree in an area that I might not have enjoyed, PlanBEE gave me an insight into the various disciplines so I could understand better what I wanted to do in the future.”
Unlike typical training setups where apprentices stick with one company, PlanBEE Manchester apprentices got to try their hand with lots of different companies, like the City Council, Manchester Life, Ryder, Purcell, Ramboll, Faithful and Gould, Sisk, Turner & Townsend, Buttress, and Eric Wright Construction. This way, they got a taste of everything the construction world has to offer.
When was the PlanBEE apprenticeship programme launched?
The first batch of ten students kicked off their journey in September 2021. They got worked on projects like the Our Town Hall project, helping out with Manchester Life’s developments in Ancoats, and even lending a hand with the new arts venue, Aviva Studios.
Ayman Abdulgabar, now working as a trainee quantity surveyor at Turner & Townsend, shared his thoughts on the programme: ““All I knew was that I wanted to work in the industry.
“I would definitely recommend the course. Instead of attending university for a degree in an area that I might not have enjoyed, PlanBEE gave me an insight into the various disciplines so I could understand better what I wanted to do in the future.”
What’s next for PlanBEE?
Now, with the programme going strong, more apprentices have joined in. Two more groups, each with 32 apprentices, have signed up.
Since PlanBEE Manchester started, the number of businesses involved has shot up by 122%. That means more companies are getting on board to train up the next generation of builders.
Councillor John Hacking, executive member for skills, employment and leisure, said: “The success of PlanBEE Manchester is clear to see with every one of the first cohort of apprentices having now successfully completed the programme and gone on to secure fantastic first jobs as a result.
“It’s brilliant for the businesses involved who get to shape the programme around the core skills and expertise they’re looking for … and it’s a win-win also for the apprentices who take part in the programme as not only do they get to earn whilst they learn, they do so knowing the skills they’re learning will give them the very best chance of getting a good job at the end of it.”
