Inspire Awards

The Inspire Awards honour companies and organisations which are creating an inclusive environment in which all employees can thrive.

Fortem’s Apprenticeship Scheme provides the foundation for its culture of empowering people from all backgrounds to begin careers in the built environment.

Key achievements in 2017:

• 20 new apprentices joined Apprenticeship Scheme
• £61,215 invested in training 43 apprentices, 92% of whom were from ‘hard-to-reach’ communities
• 257 young people and 47 people aged 25+ took part in our Pathways4Life programme
• 54 skills programmes delivered in schools/colleges
• Half of those who took part in our Building Foundations, Developing Futures pilot are applying for 2018 Apprenticeship Scheme
• Three previous Apprentice of the Year winners made it onto our Management Trainee Scheme

One of things that sets Fortem’s forward-thinking Apprenticeship Scheme apart is the fact the company offer apprentices the opportunity to train in a second core trade, meaning they become highly valuable multi-skilled tradespeople.

A testimonial from Birmingham-based Laurence Lawson, 20, who is in his second year of Fortem’s two-year Apprenticeship Scheme:

“One of the best things about Fortem’s Apprenticeship Scheme is the amount of work we do in different homes. A lot of those on my college course, who are apprentices elsewhere, are only assembling new builds – they don’t experience the same variety of challenges.

“The mentors I’ve had during the scheme have been brilliant. They’ve let me get on with the job, but they’ve been there so I can ask questions. They’ve helped me with anything I’ve struggled with, including if I haven’t understood something at college.”

“When I finish my apprenticeship in a couple of months, Fortem is putting me through an NVQ Level 3 in carpentry and joinery. The multiskilling opportunities the Fortem offers are brilliant – I might be sent on a locksmith or plumbing course at the 4Life Academy in Birmingham, and I’ll take all of the opportunities that are offered to me. They will all make me more a valuable member of the team.”