Apprenticeship applications at WSP set to double in 2019 as competition for key roles reaches its peak
Competition for talented apprentices is hotting up as employers vie to attract the best candidates.
Professional services firm, WSP – with large regional offices in both Manchester and Leeds – has received a record number of applications already this year, totalling 1500 across a variety of roles. Applications in the first two months of the year have surpassed its 2018 total – with months to go before the 2019 recruitment cycle completes in May.
Commenting on this surge in popularity, Mark Naysmith, UK CEO at WSP said:
“We are delighted by the growing interest in our apprenticeship programme. Attracting future talent and skills into our industry is an ongoing challenge, however with the Government’s support and the industry’s enthusiasm to promote exciting career opportunities, we are starting to witness success. We put a lot of time into making sure our apprenticeships are of a high quality and well-structured, and that they set people up for exciting and varied careers to address future skill gaps.
Initiatives such as National Apprenticeship Week, as championed by the Government, are a great opportunity to celebrate the positive contribution our apprentices are already making.
More and more young people are discovering that apprenticeships offer a fantastic route to a career. As the national demand for skills will only continue to grow, apprenticeships are good for people starting out in their careers, and make good corporate sense too.”
Recognising the importance of apprenticeship programme, Secretary of State Rt Hon Damian Hinds MP met with WSP apprentices today, at the start of this year’s National Apprenticeship Week.
Mark Naysmith, UK CEO at WSP commented:
“We are delighted by the growing interest in our apprenticeship programme. Attracting future talent and skills into our industry is an ongoing challenge, however with the Government’s support and the industry’s enthusiasm to promote exciting career opportunities, we are starting to witness success. We put a lot of time into making sure our apprenticeships are of a high quality and well-structured, and that they set people up for exciting and varied careers to address future skill gaps.
Initiatives such as National Apprenticeship Week, as championed by the Government, are a great opportunity to celebrate the positive contribution our apprentices are already making.
More and more young people are discovering that apprenticeships offer a fantastic route to a career. As the national demand for skills will only continue to grow, apprenticeships are good for people starting out in their careers, and make good corporate sense too.”
The construction, planning and built environment sectors have seen a continuous growth in the number of apprenticeships since 2010. One of the early adopters in the industry, WSP has been taking on apprentices since 2010, and has seen hundreds of success stories over the years from its award-winning recruits. This year WSP is recruiting apprentices in civil engineering, building services, project management, transport planning, business administration, geo-spatial and quantity surveying.
Working on some of WSP’s multi-discipline, high profile schemes such as High Speed 2, Network Rail and Highways England has also proved to be a big attraction for would-be recruits.
WSP’s, Northern-based Early Careers’ Recruitment Specialist Sarah Armitage sees every single application and CV submitted and advises people to apply early. “I am looking for honesty and enthusiasm and those candidates that apply early and know what they want will stand out,” she said. “It may be very early in their careers but if an applicant has done their research, looked at the sectors or teams they are interested in and can demonstrate their passion for our industry , then it will be noticed.”
“We have positions across the North and we use a multi-pronged approach to advertising and promoting these, reaching as wide and diverse an audience as possible. Companies throughout the UK are all vying for the best talent at the same time, so it is important to show that WSP can offer opportunities with genuine career progression, training and development as well as competitive salaries.”
Candidates must all apply initially through the WSP website directly or the “Find an Apprenticeship” website where they will find all the help and information available to guide them through the application process. Applicants have a chance to provide information about the sector and specialism they are interested in and the locations they would like to be based in.
“The best advice I can offer candidates is to apply as early as possible, do your research and try to be specific about what you are interested in. If you don’t know much about engineering, that’s fine, we’re also really keen to hear from people who enjoy maths, physics etc, as long as you are keen and can show us your interests then you will stand out.” Sarah added.
