DTS partners with West Herts College on apprenticeship programme

The partnership originated with DTS’ appointment to the Hertfordshire OSM framework, which included the commitment to engage with the local College. The two-and-a-half year programme was open to students on the College’s Level 2 City and Guilds carpentry course.

The apprenticeship will include four days per week on-site, delivered by one of DTS’ service level agreement partners, Bedfordshire-based SE Carpentry. One day per week the apprentices will attend the College to work on in-class modules, including an additional module that will focus on modern methods of construction (MMC) for timber frame that was developed in partnership with DTS. This covers an understanding of construction technology; health and safety; an introduction to MMC; and understanding construction information, materials and the installation process, together with site / project communications.

“We were connected to West Herts College through our work supporting a regional consortium of housing providers and Local Authorities, to improve the delivery of housing at a local level and develop local enterprise partnerships,” said Simon Horn, technical development manager at DTS. “Supporting skills development in the next generation is crucial to the ongoing evolution of the UK construction industry, and is something we’re committed to at DTS, so working with the College to grow and support talent was a great fit.

“This apprenticeship programme is a pilot project for DTS and is something we would like to roll out in more areas, with more partners, in time. We’re aiming to provide real opportunities and increase motivation, while simultaneously helping to fill the skills gap in our industry.”

“We’re proud to partner with DTS and West Herts College to provide two apprentices with the opportunity to learn from our team and develop their skills,” added Spencer Earl, managing director of SE Carpentry. “It’s also unquestionably a great benefit for our business, as we will have two qualified installers at the end of the programme who are trained to work on DTS’ timber frame build systems.”

“We’re excited to partner with DTS on this programme to give our learners an opportunity to receive hands-on training and develop their understanding of modern methods of construction,” said Sian Williams, curriculum director at West Herts College. “It has been fantastic to work closely with DTS to develop MMC modules that incorporate new design and technologies that enable our learners to gain the most current and update knowledge and skills linking into a variety of curriculum courses.”

“Our partnership with the team at Donaldson Timber Systems is so important to us, and a fine example of what can be achieved when education and employers work together,” said Gill Worgan, principal and chief executive of West Herts College Group. “I hope we can build on these successes going forward.”