National Apprenticeship Week is being held from the 7th of 13th February this year with the aim of celebrating the positive difference that work-based training programmes can have for individuals, businesses and the wider economy. At Shanly Homes, we are proud to support young people as they begin their careers in the property industry through the Shanly Academy Trainee Scheme. To highlight the success of our in-house training, former trainee, Cristina Aguirre, has completed the scheme and now continues to work here at Shanly Homes as a Commercial Assistant.
In 2019, having recently graduated from university with a degree in Architecture, Cristina was largely undecided about her future career plans. Knowing that she was interested in a role in construction, Cristina was excited by the prospect of being able to rotate through a series of placements as a Shanly Academy Trainee. The scheme is designed to provide young people with a better insight into the different rules available in the industry and help them to find their niche.
Speaking about the traineeship, Cristina comments: "As a Shanly Academy Trainee, you spend a year completing a series of two-month rotations in various roles across the company. These include working within the Land and Planning team, Technical Team, Commercial team, Sales Team and Build Team. It was a great way for me to get a feel for the out different roles available at Shanly and to see how the work completed by each team contributes to the success of the company as a whole."
She continues: "During my time as a trainee, I learnt a lot about myself and what I find interesting. I enjoy working with numbers and being able to draw on a range of knowledge and skill sets to negotiate and create contracts. With this in mind, I felt my time with the Commercial team was most suited to my personality and decided to pursue a career through the Commercial pathway after completing my traineeship."
Tim Nutt, Residential Managing Director for Shanly Homes, comments: "Our Shanly Academy Trainee Scheme is designed to allow young people to get a more rounded experience of the different roles available in the construction industry. Gaining experience across our company over a year, trainees like Cristina are then in a better position to decide what career they want to pursue. Having a good knowledge of the day-to-day experiences of the various teams is also invaluable for understanding how the company as a whole works."
Speaking about her favourite parts of working at Shanly Homes, Cristina comments: "As a trainee, I really enjoyed being on site and seeing the final product of all of our hard work. It's great knowing that everything that the teams are working on contributes to such high-quality homes that people will enjoy living in. I also enjoy participating in Shanly's volunteer work and social activities. For example, during my time as a trainee, I helped plant trees to support of the Woodland Trust."
