__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Caxton
Group
▲ Ross Green, Construction Apprentice Training Manger( Salutem), Ivan Sharpe, Caxton Academy Apprenticeship Manager with apprentices at Caxton Academy
▲ Ivan Sharpe, Apprenticeship Manager with apprentices at Caxton Academy
followed by six weeks on site. This helps apprentices gain real confidence and practical
experience. We also offer an optional third year which really helps our apprentices become more confident, skilled bricklayers.
Ivan explains,“ After two years, they’ re offered a third year to deepen their skills before successful apprentices progress into full-time roles at Caxton Builders. We’ ve just welcomed our second intake of apprentices. Recently, we celebrated one of our apprentices, Lizzie Allingham, who won the Association of Brickwork Contractors( A of BC) Apprentice of the Year award; a fantastic achievement also won by Alistair Corbett, a Caxton apprentice in 2024. Caxton Academy was officially launched with great support from the West Midlands Combined Authority( WMCA) and local media, highlighting how important it is to create opportunities and invest in the next generation of construction talent.”
Caxton Academy was officially opened on 6 February 2025 by Helene Dearn OBE, interim Director of Employment, Skills, Health, and Communities at WMCA. Helene said:“ The construction sector is a cornerstone of the West Midlands economy, and as we push forward with ambitious projects for new housing, regeneration, and transport, we must act to meet the rising demand for skilled workers. That’ s why Caxton Academy is so important, giving people hands-on, highquality training in the skills that businesses need. With youth unemployment in the West Midlands double the national average, we need to bring more young people into industries like construction. This academy offers real career opportunities and directly supports the mayor’ s pledge to create 20,000 learning and work placements”.
Trust, respect, integrity and passion
Its workforce is Caxton Group’ s biggest asset and to ensure it can remain at the forefront of industry advancements, the company prioritises continuous training and development of its staff. Through investment in learning opportunities, Caxton Group aims to collectively build skill sets to meet the evolving nature of the construction industry.“ We’ ve just launched our vision, mission, and values across the business, a project led passionately by our Managing Director, Chris Bellamy. The aim is for everyone, from bricklayers to senior management, to truly live by these values of trust, respect, integrity and passion.“ It’ s about embedding integrity and respect into everything we do and selecting who we work with and the people we recruit based on these values,” Scott ends. ■
www. caxton-group. co. uk
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