Business & Education South Yorkshire

Kier Sheffield recently welcomed 17 year old French apprentice plumber Damien Virfollet to the company, as he began a three-week work experience placement organised by Business & Education South Yorkshire.

This is the second French apprentice plumber Kier has taken on in the past six months through the international programme, which is designed to give the young apprentices the chance to practice the technical skills used in plumbing in the UK, whilst learning more about our way of life.

The placement will give the apprentices an insight into the working practices of an English plumbing business, where they will be expected to take on a variety of tasks, such as fitting and repairing central heating systems, repairing leaks, valves, pipes and taps, unblocking drains, repairing boilers, as well as carrying out paperwork and talking to customers.

Damien from Nancy in France is working with Kier Sheffield’s plumbing apprentices at Painted Fabrics where he’ll be installing new kitchens and bathrooms as part of the Decent Homes programme.

Damien said: “I have settled in at Kier very well and I am enjoying learning different skills and using materials I have not worked with before. The working conditions are much different than I am used to back in France as at Kier there are lots more people to work with and learn from.”

Kier Sheffield’s Training manager Andy Biggin commented, “Following the success of last year’s visit, we were only too pleased to get involved again. It is beneficial for our apprentice’s to work with students from other countries, in order of understanding the different work practices and common themes in plumbing.”

A total of 10 French apprentice plumbers aged 16-17 years old have taken part in the programme, working across South Yorkshire. Two weeks will be spent on placement and one week on a combination of technical training, language training, cultural and project related activities.

As well as sourcing placements for the students, Business & Education South Yorkshire also had to find each student a suitable host family close to their workplace.

Adrian Jones, Enterprise Manager at Business & Education South Yorkshire, said: “This programme couldn’t have taken place without the support of local businesses and families who agreed to get involved. Many of the construction companies have also expressed an interest in an exchange programme with their Apprentices hopefully visiting Paris on placements in the future, which is all part of developing good working relationships between South Yorkshire and France.”

As part of their leisure time, the trainee plumbers will be taken ice-skating, bowling and to the cinema, as well as being shown the sights of London and the Peak District.

This is the second group of students who have visited South Yorkshire on the work experience placement following a first group visiting backing in October. A total of 60 French Apprentices are planning to visit the region in the next 12 months to undertake work placements within South Yorkshire businesses.

The international work placement scheme has been arranged by B&E-SY and the Nancy regional office of Les Compagnons du Devoir, a French employer-led organisation devoted to educating the next generation of tradespeople.

Business & Education South Yorkshire is the lead organisation in this area responsible for creating and sustaining mutually beneficial relationships between businesses and schools. This involves organising a number of enterprise events throughout the year, as well as planning placements for over 17,000 work experience students. On an annual basis, B&E-SY works with 8,000 local businesses, schools and colleges in the South Yorkshire area.

For further information on how to get involved in the French Apprentices Project, call Business Education South Yorkshire on 01709 336 700 or email: adrian.jones@be-sy.co.uk