Knowsley-based property restoration specialist The Forshaw Group has teamed up with a Merseyside a secondary school to offer apprenticeships to nine teenagers. Tony McDonough reports

Property restoration specialist The Forshaw Group is providing nine Merseyside youngsters with the opportunity to start apprenticeships.

Based in Knowsley, Forshaw works with insurance companies and loss adjusters to renovate commercial and residential property damaged by fire or flood. Now it has teamed up a secondary school in Kirkby to help the year 11 students into training.

The nine teenagers from All Saints Secondary School will take up apprentice roles across the borough under the Knowsley Apprenticeship Partnership. They will begin learning trades including plumbing, plastering, painting, joinery and electrical work.

Three of the school-leavers will be joining and conducting their training with The Forshaw Group Apprenticeship Academy. They will also be part of the INS-pire Academy throughout their chosen vocational qualification.

To date, in collaboration with more than 50 local businesses, The Forshaw Group has helped train and assist more than 100 apprentices through the academy. Many of those young people have become full-time employees at the company.

In the latest cohort of apprentices, Shay Farrell-Vellosa will be apprenticing in joinery, Ryan Ronan in electrical, Dominic Glass in plumbing, Dean McBriars in plumbing and joinery, Martin Groves in plastering and tiling, and Adam Riley in plumbing, painting and decorating. While Jack Dunning, Lee Seiga and Ian Davies will be training to be multi-skilled across all disciplines.

Liam Hanlon, managing director at The Forshaw Group, joined the construction industry in 1984 on a Youth Training Scheme Apprenticeship with the Construction Industry Training Board.

He remains passionate about supporting young people into skills training and apprenticeships. He said: “Our Apprentice Training Centre shows a commitment to young people and future generations, to provide the skills required for our business and the industry we serve.

“It’s been a great experience working with these young people. To see the enthusiasm and hard work that they put in over the last six to nine months, to secure places within the industry, has been really inspiring and I’m sure they will go far.”

Tony McGuinness, headteacher at All Saints school, added: “We are really fortunate to have developed such essential business links with local employers, and The Forshaw Group has helped provide our pupils with fantastic work-related experiences. I wish them every success throughout their apprenticeships and future careers.”