A new senior trainer has been appointed at Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK, which has been at the forefront of quality apprentice training for more than 40 years.
Huw Isaac Williams, who first joined Jones Bros as a plant operator 14 years ago, took up the post in the New Year.
Huw, 41, of Abergele, is well qualified for the move into the Jones Bros training arena, having worked all over the UK with the family owned firm on projects as varied as wind farms and waste management.
He is looking forward to the new challenge and considers training of up and coming new recruits to be instrumental for the future of the construction industry.
He said: “ I am lucky to be working with a company which fully recognises the value of proper training. Over the years, particularly in my most recent roles as site manager, I have strived to help young trainees learn new skills on each project I have supervised. It is not only beneficial for them as individuals, but also for us as a company and for the industry as a whole.”
Jones Bros is respected across the industry for its training programme and two years ago opened its own training school, providing a range of courses and apprenticeships to enable youngsters to gain industry-recognised qualifications as well as learning hands-on skills on the job.
Huw is looking forward to leading these dedicated training programmes and working with more newcomers to the industry.
He said: “Now is a good time to be entering the construction industry, there are so many opportunities available to learn career-defining skills, particularly in the renewables sector in which Jones Bros is fast gaining renowned expertise.”
Jones Bros is a strong supporter of National Apprenticeship Week and in the last year has recruited three batches of apprentices.
Huw Jones, managing director of Jones Bros, said: “As a family firm, we highly value our apprenticeship scheme and have continued to invest in it even in the midst of the UK’s recent economic downturn. Indeed we have been at the vanguard of quality training for decades. As a result we benefit from a highly-trained, committed workforce, many of whom have been with the company for many years. We are delighted that Huw will be helping take our training ethos forward into future generations.”
Huw Isaac Williams said it is the company’s loyalty to its staff which has encouraged him to remain with Jones Bros for more than a decade. Having moved there from an agricultural and plant hire background in the late 1990s, he progressed to the role of site manager in 2006 and has worked on major Jones Bros contracts, including Porthmadog bypass, the Isle of Wight coastal defence scheme, and wind farms in Scotland, Hull and Peterborough.
He added: “I’m delighted to be taking on the challenge of Senior Trainer. It will mean that from now on I will largely be based at the Jones Bros North Wales headquarters in Ruthin, but my move will make way for other younger talents in the industry to experience the breadth of projects Jones Bros is now working on.”
Jones Bros apprenticeship scheme is also open to employees of other companies, and in many cases, grant-aided assistance is available.
As well as construction skills, specialised courses are available in everything from safety awareness to emergency first aid.