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Travis Perkins’ bold move to tackle an industry-wide challenge

Challenge

The UK’s biggest supplier of building materials, Travis Perkins is a leader that understands its customers and environment.

As the industry struggles with a massive skills shortage made worse by the events of 2020 to 2022, this national leader is leading the way in creating industry-wide change.Travis Perkins

Travis Perkin already operated a successful apprenticeship programme for skilled tradespeople, and realised that, by collaborating with the competition and expanding the programme, they could attract a new and diverse cohort of talent, transform the industry and ensure a vibrant future for starters.

Solution

Travis Perkins proactively invited like-minded trades organisations to combine forces to not only train new apprentices, but also to raise awareness of the skilled trades sector in schools, attract a new generation of diverse recruits, and develop new opportunities for successful apprentices across the United Kingdom.

Within this programme, Travis Perkins leveraged its deep experience with Insights Discovery to create empathy and understanding amongst learners and to empower apprentices to communicate effectively, capable of adapting their style when dealing with teammates, consumers and managers.

Results

Although most apprentices are still in training, their demographics tell an encouraging story.

40% of all new recruits are female and that statistic is trending upwards. Furthermore, the majority of new recruits are under the age of 25.

Even though less than 10% of these recruits had knowledge of the building sector before enrolling, 65% have decided to work in the field.

Traditional competitors have become collaborators. In its first year, 25% of all apprentices entered the programme through companies other than Travis Perkins, and in 2022, the UK’s Department of Education ranked the apprenticeship #33 in their top 100 list, beating out bigger competitors like Amazon, Pepsico, and KPMG.

We’re massive fans of Insights. It is, I think, the reason our programmes have been successful over time.

Andy Rayner

Director of LEAP Apprenticeships and Early Careers

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