Electrical contractor Clarkson Evans has showcased its commitment to the next generation of Apprentices by joining The 5% Club, an industry led initiative focussed on driving momentum into the recruitment of Apprentices, graduates and sponsored students.

Clarkson Evans is committed to training the next generation of electricians by offering around 100 people the opportunity to join its award-winning Apprenticeship programme each year. In addition, the company has recently extended its Apprenticeship offering by providing young people with the chance to work as IT, accountancy and business admin Apprentices at its head office in Staverton. Currently Apprentices make up 25 per cent of the company’s workforce.

The 5% Club was initiated by defence technology company QinetiQ with the aim of getting the UK’s leading public and private companies to commit to raising the number of Apprentices, sponsored students and graduates on formal programmes to 5% of their total workforce within five years.

The aim of the campaign is to tackle both the chronic skills shortage and youth unemployment in Britain and help the country remain at the forefront of innovation. Clarkson Evans will publicly report on its progress in its annual Connect Magazine, sent to customers and staff each year.

“Training Apprentices is fundamental to the long-term growth of our business. Clarkson Evans is a business that prides itself on attracting and retaining the best talent. Over 70% of our current team leaders and area managers are former Apprentices and our Managing Director Nathan Evans started his career with us as an Apprentice," said Lindsey Young, HR & Training Director.

“By joining The 5% Club we are demonstrating our commitment to developing our staff and young people and helping to address the skills shortage in the construction industry nationally. We have some fantastic Apprentice employers and we hope they will follow our lead and become active members of The Club,” added Mrs Young.

Dr Sam Healy, Programme Director of The 5% Club said, “We’re delighted to welcome Clarkson Evans to the initiative. The company’s existing efforts to invest in the next generation are greatly welcomed and together we can strive towards a brighter future for young people in Britain.”

Is it your #timetoshine?

Clarkson Evans is currently actively recruiting Apprentices in the Oxford area. For full details see https://www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/apprenticeship/-17852. For more information on how to apply online visit www.clarksonevans.co.uk.

The firm has launched its first ever cinema advert in Oxfordshire this week (18th April) to help raise awareness of the opportunities available to change - as well as start - a career with an Electrical Apprenticeship. The company took inspiration from its current pool of Apprentices to come up with the cinema advert concept which features a disillusioned chef who turns his back on his catering job to train to become an electrician. Let us know if you spot it!

If you're not planning a trip to the cinema, but would like to watch the ad, it's available on the Clarkson Evans YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/xusRg0pTREM.