Furniture retail group Barker and Stonehouse has taken on three new new apprentices - and to mark National Apprenticeship Week is now seeking another four to join the team in the near future
Photo credit: Michelle Maddison Photography
Alex McKay, Samantha Oram, James Barker and Ellis Little
Furniture retail group Barker and Stonehouse has taken on three new new apprentices - and to mark National Apprenticeship Week is now seeking another four to join the team in the near future.
Based at the Middlesbrough head office, the year-long apprenticeships are in IT support, office administration and warehousing, with one apprentice learning the rare and specialist skill of French polishing.
Following completion of an NVQ level 2 at Stockton Riverside College and a stint in a labouring position, 18-year-old Alex McKay is now working in the Middlesbrough warehouse having joined Barker and Stonehouse three weeks ago.
He is learning under the expert tutelage of Anthony Moody and Steve Davey, specialists in furniture repair and French polishing, who have been with the firm for 12 and 36 years respectively.
Mr Davey said: “To be a skilled French polisher it’s important to have a great eye for colour, patience and a love of working with wood. Alex is already showing great promise.”
Samantha Oram, 16, is working in the head office dealing with customer orders, arranging deliveries and learning the workings of a busy office.
David Wilkinson, business development director at Barker and Stonehouse, said: “The apprenticeship scheme has been well received in the company and we’re looking for another four apprentices to join the Eggborough and Blaydon warehouses and the customer services team and sales team at Middlesbrough head office.”
Another young apprentice who has joined the firm recently is 18-year-old Ellis Little, who has an NVQ in IT business support from Middlesbrough College and is working in the IT department.
James Barker, Barker and Stonehouse’s managing director, said: “Many of our core staff have been with us for a long time, building up a great bank of knowledge and expertise. The apprenticeship scheme enables our staff to pass this knowledge on to the next generation of workers, something of great value to us, while giving young people the skills and opportunities they need when starting out in their career.”
Barker and Stonehouse was founded in Stockton in 1946 and has grown significantly since then, employing more than 320 staff across the country and 115 on Teesside.
National Apprenticeship Week runs until tomorrow - http://ift.tt/V0M8QD
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