The award-winning Evan-Evans Brewery in West Wales is rallying to the Welsh Government’s call for businesses to employ more apprentices.
Evan-Evans Chief Executive Simon Buckley today announced he would be building a team of talented apprentices to help maintain the brewery’s expanding pub and hotel business.
“I am fed up reading about the young of West Wales not being able to find jobs and apprenticeships,” said Mr Buckley.
“Not every youngster is destined for an academic career and university life. Now is the time for us in industry, with the opportunity to influence employment, to do something about it.”
Statistics show that the number of apprentices taken on by Welsh businesses has seen a significant drop over the past three years.
The Welsh Government, which spends £90m a year on apprenticeships, used the launch of National Apprenticeships Week, to call on more employers to take on the next generation of workers.
Welsh Deputy Minister for Skills Jeff Cuthbert said the move would give businesses vital skills for survival and growth in the future.
Mr Cuthbert said on-the-job training led to “better motivated workforces and an improved bottom line”.
Mr Buckley said he would be laying the foundations for new apprenticeships by constructing a new Clerk of Works team for the brewery.
The new team will be responsible for building three new divisions of the company and developing a team of talented apprentices to help maintain the brewery’s expanding pub and hotel business.
The new managers will be responsible for working directly with the contracts manager, who will source work outside the group for the team.
Mr Buckley said: “We intend building three separate divisions to our main drinks business. We are constantly looking for electricians, painters and plumbers to maintain our pub estate, and to keep the brewery brewing.
“We are currently well looked after by a great team of sub-contractors, but now is the time to help get young people back into work, to give them a sense of purpose and for them to be able to live and work in their own home town.
“The first part of our search is to find a supervisor who can head up each of the businesses, responding directly to our new Clerk of Works. Once we have them in place we can then start the search for a team of young apprentices, people who want to be part of a successful team, who want to learn and get on in life.
“This is a job building exercise and we want to give these young people something to look forward to and to be able to have a sense of satisfaction at doing a good job. We also want them to realise that nothing comes without hard work.
“We hope to work with our local schools, and to be able give a group of youngsters the real chance they deserve each year.”
The Evan-Evans brewery is based in Llandeilo and is one of the top specialist brewers in the UK.
