A council contract that guarantees jobs for more Croydon people has led to building company Mulalley adding over 30 companies and six local apprentices to its books.
When Croydon Council awarded Mulalley its five-year, £12m general building works contract in April, it included a requirement to take on around 30 local new starters from within the borough each year.
So far this year, 31 companies specialising in fields from plumbing to roofing have signed up as Mulalley sub-contractors after it hosted a recruitment event at the council offices over the summer.
Now Mulalley has also employed six Croydon apprentices from a shortlist of 14 to learn their trade on the job. The teenagers, aged 17 to 19, will work in a range of teams who help to upgrade Croydon’s 14,000 council homes across the borough.
For four days a week the apprentices will learn a range of skills from decorating and tiling to painting and plumbing with experienced Mulalley colleagues, and one day a week they will study for an intermediate-level apprenticeship in maintenance operations with partner organisation Croydon College.
Both initiatives were set up as part of the council’s Value Croydon project, which encourages and trains local individuals, companies and voluntary groups to be able to compete for local jobs, public sector contracts and employment opportunities further afield.
Mulalley wants to give Croydon businesses 95% of its local supply chain within five years. Croydon Council also plans to further guarantee local jobs when future contracts come up for renewal, as it already has with suppliers who maintain its offices.
One of the apprentices, Lewis Brown, aged 17 from South Croydon, said: “I am very pleased to have been invited into the apprenticeship scheme. My experience so far has been enjoyable and I am learning so much from my mentor. I am extremely enthusiastic and hoping to establish a sound career in plumbing for the foreseeable future.”
“I’m really pleased that local workers, especially young people, have got these job opportunities with Mulalley as a direct result of its new contract with Croydon Council.
“Boosting local employment in our growing borough is really important to this council, and that’s why we’ll continue to make job creation a key part of our contracts when they come up for renewal.”
Councillor Simon Hall, cabinet member for finance and treasury
Mulalley Operations Director Bruce Benson said: “We are providing productive employment and on-site training for these six local apprentices and introducing them to the routine of regular work whilst at the same time encouraging their efforts and ensuring they feel they are progressing in a worthwhile career.
“We are not only transforming the homes of residents in Croydon but we will hopefully leave a longer-lasting legacy of skilled, trained, employable workers which will help to reduce unemployment in these areas in the future.”
For more information about Value Croydon, visit www.valuecroydon.com
ENDS
PICTURE CAPTION: From left to right: Lewis Brown, Antony Drummey, aged 19 from New Addington, Joshua Weldon, aged 17 from New Addington, Peter Lang, aged 17 from Shirley, Kaval Burke, aged 17 from Thornton Heath, and Callum Medaini, aged 17 from South Croydon.
