{"id":908,"date":"2017-09-08T12:17:22","date_gmt":"2017-09-08T11:17:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.constructionplantworld.com\/news\/?p=908"},"modified":"2017-09-08T12:17:22","modified_gmt":"2017-09-08T11:17:22","slug":"sandwell-apprentice-wins-through-to-finals-of-young-builder-of-the-year-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.constructionplantworld.com\/news\/2017\/09\/sandwell-apprentice-wins-through-to-finals-of-young-builder-of-the-year-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"Sandwell apprentice wins through to finals of Young Builder of the Year Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sandwell construction apprentice Calum Harris \u2013 who has beaten dyslexia to build a successful career \u2013 has won a place in the finals of the 2017 Young Builder of the Year Awards<\/em>. He was nominated by his employer, Halesowen housing developer Lovell, for the national awards.<\/p>\n

Organised by charity Youthbuild UK, they celebrate the achievements of young people who have overcome barriers to train or work in the construction industry.<\/p>\n

Eighteen-year-old Calum, who lives in Tividale in the West Midlands, will now join other finalists at the awards ceremony at the House of Commons on 18 October when the winners will be announced. The finalists will also enjoy a trip on the London Eye.<\/p>\n

Lovell<\/a> nominated Calum because of the way he has coped with the difficulties posed by his dyslexia. With the company\u2019s support, the young trainee is successfully working towards his NVQ Level 2 Maintenance Operations qualification \u2013 in spite of having struggled with English and Maths at school.<\/p>\n

He says: \u201cI was determined to build a good career for myself despite this so started a carpentry course. I loved it and decided to apply for a multi-skilled apprenticeship with Lovell. Although I didn\u2019t have the grades I needed, Lovell interviewed me, were impressed by my determination and gave me a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

As well as one-to-one training, Lovell provides Calum with additional support and advice on alternative learning methods to cope with his dyslexia. The teenager is learning his trade based on a major housing refurbishment programme which Lovell is undertaking for Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council and is also studying on day release at Dudley College.<\/p>\n

He says: \u201cLovell has been very supportive during my NVQ, helping me develop my construction skills and knowledge as well as employability and social skills. I love the variety of my Maintenance Operations course. So far, I have been working on site with experienced carpenters fitting fire doors, internal flooring, stud work, second fix kitchens, skirting and architraves. I am also learning plastering, wall tiling, painting and decorating, bricklaying and slabbing. Most of all I enjoy seeing a job finished well and the difference I have made \u2013 for example, if I\u2019m adding a plinth to finish off a newly fitted kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Calum, who joined Lovell in February 2016, has received advice and support from another Lovell employee with dyslexia and also been helped by Dudley College to learn coping strategies.<\/p>\n

Lovell craft training advisor Dave Jones, who nominated Calum for the Youthbuild UK award, says: \u201cSince Calum started his apprenticeship, we have been extremely impressed by his positive attitude to work and learning. Calum has had to overcome a number of barriers during his training but has tackled every challenge with determination and keenness. He takes great pride in producing excellent work. He has become self-reliant and requires minimal supervision to carry out tasks to a high standard.<\/p>\n

\u201cCalum thoroughly deserves his place in the Young Builder of the Year Award<\/em>s finals and we will all be rooting for him to win at the awards ceremony.\u201d<\/p>\n

Councillor Les Jones, Dudley Council\u2019s cabinet member for housing, said: \u201cWe work hard to provide opportunities for young people to learn skills that are the foundations for a career and I am delighted to see Calum doing so well. The work we have contracted to Lovell will equip him with valuable skills in the building trade and hopefully being shortlisted for the Young Builder of the Year Awards <\/em>will give him the confidence to build on that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sandwell construction apprentice Calum Harris \u2013 who has beaten dyslexia to build a successful career \u2013 has won a place <\/p>\nRead more<\/a>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":909,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-plant-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.constructionplantworld.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.constructionplantworld.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.constructionplantworld.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.constructionplantworld.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.constructionplantworld.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=908"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.constructionplantworld.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/908\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":910,"href":"https:\/\/www.constructionplantworld.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/908\/revisions\/910"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.constructionplantworld.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.constructionplantworld.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.constructionplantworld.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.constructionplantworld.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}