The Founder’s Pledge apprentices celebrate the completion of their year long mentorship with industry leaders

Twelve apprentices, who have spent the past year being mentored by senior leaders from Balfour Beatty and its supply chain as part of the Founder's Pledge, gathered to celebrate their achievements at a graduation ceremony this week.

The event was hosted by Leo Quinn, Balfour Beatty Group Chief Executive and Founder of The 5% Club, and was attended by The Rt Hon Baroness Jacqui Smith, the Minister for Skills.

Launched in March 2023 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of The 5% Club, the Founder's Pledge aims to tackle the growing issue of apprenticeship dropouts, which currently affects nearly 50% of apprentices in the UK. As part of the Pledge, Leo Quinn personally awarded £1,000 to each of the twelve apprentices, with each apprentice paired with senior leaders from their own business who provided a mix of career advice, skills development, and resilience-building to help them face and overcome early career challenges head on.

The ceremony, which was held at the Institution of Civil Engineers, provided an opportunity for the apprentices to come together to mark the completion of their year-long mentorship programme with their mentors, company CEOs, families and friends, where they reflected on their journey and celebrated how far they have come, both personally and professionally.

Congratulations and thanks goes to:

• Anthony Jordan, Groundworker Apprentice, mentored by Tim O'Sullivan, Managing Director of Danny Sullivan Group
• Michael Kinnane, Service Engineer Apprentice, mentored by Charlotte Bennett, People Director of Sunbelt
• Rupert Forster, Laboratory and Associated Technical Activities Apprentice, mentored by Leo Quinn, Balfour Beatty Group Chief Executive
• Jasdeep Singh, Accountancy and Taxation Professional Apprentice, mentored by Sat Nijjer, Chief Executive Officer of Fortel
• Millie Hopkins, Business Administration Apprentice, mentored by Brusk Korkmaz, Chief Executive Officer of Hercules
• Callum King, Mineral Products Technician Apprentice, mentored by and Gary Brennand, General Manager of Aggregate Industries
• Chloe Jones, Construction Plant Operations Apprentice, mentored by Patrick Flannery, Managing Director of Flannery Plant Hire
• Malcolm Masi-Manyusa, Commercial Apprentice, mentored by Bevan Browne, Managing Director of Tarmac
• Harry Wooldridge, Plant Operator Apprentice, mentored by Merrill Lynch, Joint Managing Director of L Lynch
• Billy Mingard, Rail Engineer Apprentice, mentored by Dan Evans, Chief Executive of Speedy Services
• Lucy Cole, Business Administration Apprentice, mentored by Paul Raby, Group Human Resources Director of Balfour Beatty
• Bethany Newton, Commercial Apprentice, mentored by Louise McCulloch, Group Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs of Balfour Beatty

Leo Quinn, Group Chief Executive of Balfour Beatty and Founder of The 5% Club said: "The infrastructure and construction industry is entering a new era of growth. With a well-documented skills gap, leaders must commit to training and nurturing the next generation. Doing so is a sure-fire way to ensure that industry has the people needed to deliver the pipeline of exciting projects whilst providing lifelong, successful careers to younger people.

"The Founder's Pledge is one example of how industry can come together to nurture the future workforce, whilst clearly demonstrating the appetite from young people to grow, develop and thrive.

"Congratulations to all twelve of the Apprentices who have graduated the year-long Founder's Pledge mentoring programme and thank you to their mentors who supported their growth and development."

The Rt Hon Baroness Jacqui Smith, the Minister for Skills said: "It's fantastic to celebrate the achievements of these twelve apprentices and the success of the Founder's Pledge. Mentoring programmes like this are vital to help apprentices.

"Congratulations to all the graduates, and thank you to the mentors for their dedication to developing the next generation of talent."

Patrick Flannery, Managing Director of Flannery Plant Hire, said: ""It was incredibly rewarding to be part of the Founder's Pledge, mentoring and spending time with Chloe throughout her journey.

"The experience has provided me with valuable insights into the challenges apprentices face and has inspired us as a business to look into how we can provide them with the support they need to ultimately maximise completion rates."

Rupert Forster, a Balfour Beatty apprentice working at Hinkley Point C, who was mentored by Leo, said: "Being part of this mentorship programme hasn't just been about gaining skills and advice - it's about learning how to practically navigate the challenges that come with early career development, and how to persevere through them.

"Having tailored guidance from senior leaders like Leo, who himself started as a graduate, has given me the support that will not only help me in my current role, but will stay with me throughout my career."

As part of their ongoing support, the apprentices attended regular training sessions throughout their mentorship and will also benefit from further career development training with Balfour Beatty's HR team in January 2025 to ensure they continue to receive the guidance and support they need to excel in their professional careers.

ENDS

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Notes to editors:

About Balfour Beatty

• Balfour Beatty is a leading international infrastructure group with over 26,000 employees driving the delivery of powerful new solutions, shaping thinking, creating skylines and inspiring a new generation of talent to be the change-makers of tomorrow.

• We finance, develop, build, maintain and operate the increasingly complex and critical infrastructure that supports national economies and deliver projects at the heart of local communities.

• Over the last 115 years we have created iconic buildings and infrastructure all over the world. Currently, we are working to deliver Hinkley Point C, the first UK nuclear power station in a generation; constructing the world-class arts and cultural facility, the Lyric Theatre, in Hong Kong; and designing, building, financing, operating and maintaining the Automated People Mover superstructure at one of the busiest airports in the world, Los Angeles International Airport.

About The 5% Club

• The 5% Club is a dynamic movement of employers committed to earn & learn as part of building and developing the workforce they need as part of a socially mobile, prosperous and cohesive nation. The Club exists to help its members and all employers increase further the number, quality and range of earn & learn opportunities across the UK.
• By joining The 5% Club, members aspire to reach 5% of their workforce in 'earn and learn' positions, including apprenticeships, sponsored student schemes and graduate training, within five years of joining.
• The 5% Club is a charity and is free for businesses of all sizes and sectors to join. Find out more at https://www.5percentclub.org.uk/