GSH swells its apprentice intake

Facilities management provider George S. Hall is increasing its commitment to training apprentices by allocating 45 places in its Building Engineering Services Training Programme (BEST) for 2004/05. The move reflects the need to bring new skills and talent into the industry to tackle the national shortage of apprentices undertaking structured training in various technical fields. The success of the company’s training programme is demonstrated by employee Steven Wallis reaching the final of the national H&V Apprentice of the Year award in recognition of his academic and practical expertise. This is the second year running that a GSH employee has been selected as a finalist in this category; apprentice Mark Falconer won last year. Mark Longley, HR director for GSH, says, ‘As an accredited Investor in People, we are committed to the training of young people on modern apprenticeship programmes. Steve was identified through internal processes as a high-potential employee with a willingness and ability to learn, and we are looking forward to more apprentices following in his footsteps.’