E G Carter & Co Ltd help apprentice gain experience to complete his Carpentry apprenticeship

Over the last few days E G Carter & Co Ltd has helped Selwood Housing Group by giving valuable work experience to one of their Silcoa apprentices.

Drew Coates, 19, a Carpentry Apprentice with Selwood Housing Repairs and Maintenance Company, Silcoa has been learning the ‘Carpentry ropes’ at Margaret Stancomb, Trowbridge with help from E G Carter & Co Ltd.

Drew usually spends a lot of his time on multiple housing sites across the County working mainly on fitting new kitchens, hanging doors and patch carpentry. In order for him to complete his college course he needed a more rounded experience within his chosen specialism, Selwood Housing Group called upon their partners E G Carter & Co Ltd who offered to give Drew work experience on a large construction site. During National Apprenticeship Week, Drew was given the opportunity to work on the Margaret Stancomb development - a former primary school that had been derelict for ten years before Selwood Housing Group was granted permission to develop it into 21 new affordable homes.

The past few days have seen Drew fitting skirting boards, door frames, enhancing window protection as well as shadowing the more experienced tradesmen who contain a wealth of knowledge. Drew explained “It was my first time on a real site and it’s been great. You learn different things from when you’re using pre-made structures at college. I’ve been patching up windows and putting together door linings. It’s really satisfying to see the houses coming together. I’m looking forward to putting my new skills to the test. Working on a larger site has definitely opened my eyes to where I would like to use my apprenticeship in the future.”

Ian Beevor, Site Manager at E G Carter & Co Ltd said “Drew has a lot of potential to eventually be a great carpenter; he is enthusiastic, willing to learn and passionate about the construction industry. Selwood Housing has gained a great apprentice.”

Work at Margaret Stancomb consists of transforming the former school building into three shared ownership homes, along with an additional 18 homes for shared ownership and social rent. The new homes will be ready for handover in late Summer 2020