Hudson founder says serving an apprenticeship sets up young people for success.
Serving an apprenticeship provides “the most solid of starts for a career as an entrepreneur”, the founder of Hudson Contract told an event to celebrate the achievements of new recruits to the construction industry.
David Jackson started his career as a 17-year-old apprentice draughtsman and is now chairman of one of Britain’s biggest privately-owned companies. Hudson Contract launched a sponsorship scheme for apprentices in its seaside hometown of Bridlington and the surrounding area to create meaningful opportunities for young people to learn valuable trade skills. To date, more than 225 people have signed up for the scheme since 2011.
Hudson Contract hosted the celebratory event at Bridlington Spa with apprentices past and present, local employers, headteachers and civic leaders including the Mayor of Bridlington and the Lord-Lieutenant of East Yorkshire, the King’s representative in the county.
Louie Murray, an apprentice joiner at G Colman Joinery, told the audience how his experience has given him the inspiration to start his own business. Tom Benninger, an apprentice electrician at Martin & Gerard Electrical Contractors, said he has gained the confidence to go out and do what he wants in the industry. Harrison Walker an apprentice bricklayer at Springvale Homes, added that he spent the first year sweeping up on building sites but is now “on the trowel and smashing it”.
David Jackson told them: “You get an apprenticeship, you gain some experience and you start working as a fully qualified tradesperson and you just don’t know where a career can take you. It’s about being enthusiastic, committed and having your eyes wide open to the possibilities of where you might go.”
The Lord-Lieutenant, James Dick OBE, described Hudson Contract’s sponsorship scheme for apprentices as “corporate social responsibility in action” and said “there is nothing better than giving a young person a really good start”. He added: “I think there are some entrepreneurs of the future here… They have really got themselves a skill and they are clearly motivated to take that as far as they can… At a time when there is a massive skills shortage, you are not only helping them, you are helping the industry.”
Ian Anfield, managing director of Hudson Contract, and longstanding friend and client Tom Hart, the owner of Springvale Homes, told the audience how they developed successful careers in construction after starting out as apprentices. Mr Anfield said there has been “massive progress” in training provision for apprentices in Bridlington in recent years.
The sponsorship works as follows: Hudson Contract gives a card to a teenager to present to a potential employer, stating that Hudson Contract will pay £50 per week for the first year of training. The only requirement is for the local college to confirm the apprentice’s ongoing attendance.
Hudson Contract is a leading provider of professional services to the construction industry and has annual revenues of £2 billion.
