Contractors commit themselves to offering work experience

The Heating & Ventilating Contractors’ Association has reported a healthy take-up of its initiative encouraging members to offer work-experience placements to young people. Association president Brian Townsend says, ‘I am delighted that so many of my colleagues in the association have risen to the challenge and committed themselves to participation in work experience.’ Mr Townsend added that he knew from personal experience that involvement in work-experience schemes could be of enormous benefit to a company. ‘It allows young people to learn what is involved in building-services engineers — and it allows employers to gauge the suitability of the same young people as new-entrant recruits to the industry.’ This ‘Making the team initiative’ is the first in a progamme of events designed to mark HVCA’s centenary year. The association has also launched ‘Work experience student of the year’ and ‘Employer of the year’ awards as part of ‘Making the team’. There will be a presentation ceremony in London in November. contact@hvca.org.uk