I really wanted to start learning on the job rather than in a classroom. When I heard about the apprenticeship scheme at Story Homes, I applied straight away because I knew that the company had a reputation for quality so I would be learning from the best.
The initial application was online, followed by a telephone interview. After being shortlisted, about 20 of us were invited to an assessment centre which was a full day at Newcastle Racecourse. We had to work in teams on different problem-solving projects, like building a tower and working our way across a grid. This was an opportunity to demonstrate our communication skills and how we worked together – it was really interesting! There was also an interview in the afternoon.
Really fun! For the first few days we were all taken to Brathay adventure centre in the Lake District. Here we were able to rock climb, abseil and climb through trees to help us prepare for the transition into work. We got used to listening to instructions, as well as the importance of health and safety in an environment where we could get hurt – just like a building site!
At the end of the week away, we were joined by site managers and production managers so that we could get to know them and ask any questions we had in an informal environment.
When we started on site, I was really happy about how quickly I was able to get started on some hands-on work. On my first day I was able to hang a door and fit some handles – it was brilliant.
It is a great atmosphere on site. Everyone is really friendly and we all work together to make sure we are working as efficiently as possible. It is definitely busy but it’s great to see families moving in as the development progresses and think that I helped to build their homes.
“I really wanted to start learning on the job rather than in a classroom. When I heard about the apprenticeship scheme at Story Homes, I applied straightaway because I knew that the company had a reputation for quality so I would be learning from the best.”
Ryan Bell, Joinery Apprentice
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