School leavers in Stone and the surrounding ST15 area have apprenticeships as an alternative to sixth form or college, combining paid employment with training towards a recognised qualification.
Several opportunities are currently being advertised locally, covering business administration, warehousing, childcare and retail. The building materials sector is among industries actively seeking young recruits.
What apprenticeships offer
The Builders Merchants Federation, the trade body representing builders' merchants and suppliers, has published a careers pack aimed at school leavers. Its Building Materials Careers campaign highlights that jobs within the sector extend beyond traditional construction, including sales, logistics, marketing, finance, HR and digital technology roles.
Marianna Peet, Learning & Development and Apprenticeship Manager at the Builders Merchants Federation, said apprentices can "earn while you learn, gain professional qualifications and progress into management and leadership roles."
Finding vacancies
The Government's Find an apprenticeship service allows people to search by location, employer and type of work. This service is available on GOV.UK.
Those interested specifically in building materials can visit the Building Materials Careers website for information about different roles, apprenticeships, work experience and employers within the industry.
Readers can also browse jobs advertised locally in the A Little Bit of Stone jobs section.
