Persimmon Homes

Shadow Education Secretary meets local construction apprentices

09 February 2023

Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson MP has visited a Persimmon housing development in her constituency to meet some of those local young people starting their careers with an apprenticeship.

Main image:Bridget Phillipson MP with Persimmon apprentice Liam Cornell and Persimmon Apprentice Manager Michael Johnson

To mark National Apprenticeship Week in England and Wales, the MP for Houghton and Sunderland South was given a tour of Persimmon’s Herrington Grange development in Houghton-le-Spring where she was introduced to some of the company’s bricklaying and carpentry apprentices.

With National Apprenticeship Week underway, Labour’s Education spokesperson heard from three of the apprentices honing their skills on site and from Persimmon’s Regional Apprentice Manager on how the company engages with colleges across the region.

Of its 500 apprentices and trainees, Persimmon currently has 55 apprentices in the North East with 14 based in Durham. Last year the company launched its Target 50 initiative to recruit an additional 50 female apprentices in construction facing roles.

 

Above: Bridget Phillipson MP with Persimmon apprentice John Scott and Persimmon Apprentice Manager Michael Johnson

 

Bridget Phillipson MP said: “it was good to see regeneration in action at Persimmon’s new brownfield development, Herrington Grange.

“Labour is the party of homeownership – our comprehensive plan will help first-time buyers onto the ladder and target a homeownership rate of 70%, with 1.5 million new homeowners.

“I really enjoyed hearing from local apprentices on the site. Boosting Britain’s skills will be a national mission for Labour. That’s why the next Labour government will deliver more training opportunities so people can gain new skills, access better jobs and grow our economy.”

Ed Alder, Managing Director for Persimmon Durham added: “We were delighted to host the Shadow Education Secretary and introduce her to some of our local apprentices.

“As a Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer, we’re proud of the wide range of exciting opportunities we provide young people in the North East.

“Working closely with policy makers as well as training provides is absolutely vital to this and we look forward to helping many more young people develop the skills they need to embark upon one of the many fulfilling careers construction has to offer.”

 

Click here for more information about Herrington Grange. 

Finishing Touches

Create a look that's as individual as you are. Add the finishing touches to your Persimmon home.

Supporting your communities

At Persimmon we're proud to support our local communities. Our Community Champions programme was established in 2015 and has already donated more than £3 million to over 3,500 good causes across Great Britain. We also have a programme of community events taking place as part of our partnership with Team GB for the 2024 Paris Olympics, along with other great initiatives. 

 

Our hugely successful Community Champions programme has already donated more than £1 million to good causes in England, Wales and Scotland. Whilst the programme is running, each of our regional offices makes a donation of up to £6,000 every quarter to local organisations.

We're proud to be one of Team GB's official partners for Paris 2024. In the lead up to the Olympics we'll be posting lots of exciting content in partnership with Team GB, from athlete appearances to competitions and challenges.

Showcase your style

Why not share your own photos on Instagram using #lovemypersimmonhome for a chance to win a £100 Next voucher. Visit our Facebook page for terms and conditions.

#lovemypersimmonhome