FACILITIES management company Mitie believes T-Levels are an ideal way to bring in new talent, as well as showcase the opportunities they have to offer young people.
Rich Garland, Account Director, Technical Services (Defence) for the global company, has made it a personal mission to pay forward the chance he was given as an army apprentice and sees offering 315 hours of T-Level placement to business studies students at Mitie’s MOD Corsham site as a means of doing that.
“I’m quite conscious that I’m closer to the end of my career than these students are to the start and whenever I move into a new role or a new location, I’ve always engaged in the local FE sector,” he says.
“I spoke to Wiltshire College & University Centre and that led to me going in and speaking to business studies students.”
He offered them a chance to do their placements at Corsham – the first time any Mitie site had taken part in T-Levels. After an interview process, the first cohort were selected.
“That was two years ago and I’ve been back in several times now and spoken to different cohorts and we’ve got a steady trickle of students coming through now on different days of the week, different phases on their learning journey,” he says.
As an employer he says Mitie benefits from students’ energy and enthusiasm. “What we get in the team is very different perceptions because these students are 16 in some cases, 17 normally, or even 18 and they come to the workplace with very different opinions, attitudes, ideas and energy levels, which is great for us,” he says.
“What they get is exposure to a whole range of different teams, skills, disciplines and challenges and some of it they find very challenging and very rewarding.”
Having 315 hours of placement in the workplace means the students get to see many different aspects of the company’s operations. “We sit them in front of customers in a nice warm environment and at the other end of the extreme, when it’s lashing down with rain or snowing, we get them on their hands and knees clearing the drains, so we get them to do all kinds of things,” says Rich.
“What we try to do is expose them to the good, the bad and the ugly to help them understand what it is they like and the kind of thing they want to do.”
Former student Ruby Beaven, now 18, has already started a facilities management apprenticeship. “She shone her way through that and she’s an absolute superstar,” said Rich.
“As an employer we benefit by bringing these young people in and giving them exposure and challenges they’re not going to find elsewhere. T-Levels allow us to do that.”
He dismisses the notion that finding the time and space for young people is too time consuming. “That’s poppycock,” he says. “It’s no more difficult than going into the college and having a conversation. If you want to do it they can make it easy for you.
“When I was a young man in the army someone put their arm around my shoulder and said ‘follow me’ and all I’m doing through the T-Level placements is just popping the door open for these young people. And if you don’t pop the door open, how do they get through?”
Thinking about your next step?
T Levels at Wiltshire College & University Centre combine study with real-world experience, helping you discover where your strengths lie and how you can turn them into a career. Explore T Levels here.
Ready to open your doors to future talent?
By joining THE BIG Placement Pledge, your organisation can bring fresh energy, new perspectives and enthusiasm into the workplace. T Level students complete 315 hours with you – long enough to add value and give you a chance to spot your next rising star. Find out how your business can get involved and make your pledge.
