02 September 2011
D-Drill, which has its headquarters in Coventry and offices around the UK, has hired 12 new apprentices as the company looks to expand its share of the market and invest in the future.
Ten of the apprentices – taken on through the National Apprenticeship Service and the Drilling & Sawing Association – will learn skills and gain qualifications in the drilling and sawing trade, while two have been taken on to embark on office-based roles with D-Drill.
And managing director Julie White will know exactly what they are letting themselves in for – she is undertaking the apprenticeship scheme herself.
She said: “We need new blood in the industry and while it would be nice for others to put skilled staff on a plate for us, that’s not going to happen as it is such as specialist sector.
“So, as an industry and company, we have to take control of our own destiny and create the skilled engineers and operatives of tomorrow and that is what we are doing with the apprenticeship scheme.
“We have had great successes with apprentices down the years and more than 32 per cent of our current site staff have been or are going through the apprentice scheme.
“Last year, we won an International drilling award in Las Vegas, which is the equivalent to the Oscars in the Concrete Cutting World. This was thanks to the work carried out by two former apprentices so we know that it works and that it can benefit the business.
“Because the programme has proved so key to our business I thought it would be beneficial if I went through the same process so I could fully understand what the apprentices experience and to fully judge the efficiency and value of the system.
“I started earlier this year and I am battling my way through it. It has caused a few laughs and some heated debates but already I have been able to instigate a few changes as a result of what I have seen and experienced.
“It’s hard work but it’s proving to be hugely beneficial.”
D-Drill has been trading for more than 44 years and now has nine UK offices. It operates for some of the biggest global construction companies and has a strong reputation for its rapid response, training and health and safety.
Julie added: “We are one of the most established and recognised companies in the industry and we want to continue to grow with new young blood in our company.”
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