‘Model’ apprentice Joe given key role at EYG as firm continues to offer opportunities to local young talent
A ‘model’ apprentice who has shown an ‘exemplary’ attitude by going the extra mile for colleagues and customers is playing a key role in helping Hull-based EYG serve domestic and commercial customers across the country. Former Kelvin Hall School pupil Joe Gutherlesss, 19, has established himself as fully-fledged member of the firm’s processing department having joined on an apprenticeship from HBTC in 2018. Joe joined the city firm working towards a Level 3 IT Apprenticeship Diploma last October, having previously studied business at Wyke College in Hull. Having competed his apprenticeship earlier this month he has now been rewarded with a permanent full-time role as a Processing Administrator, winning high praise from directors of the Wiltshire Road-based firm.
“It was clear Joe had great potential from the first day he walked in the door on his apprenticeship,” said Nicola Arnott, Marketing Director at EYG, who oversees the firm’s seven apprentices. “He initially worked with our installations team but there wasn’t really a role available in that department which was suitable and which he could make his own. Within the first two weeks of him being with us though, we knew he had great potential. We worked hard to identify somewhere within our business which could not just accommodate him, but provide him with a role in which we could see his full potential, help him progress in his own studies and bring benefits to our business too. It has been a great success due to Joe’s attitude and desire to learn and do the best job possible. He is on time, present and correct every day, he always goes the extra mile, is always willing to help and his attitude is exemplary. He has learnt how to process UPVC contracts in his year with us and has already moved onto processing aluminum products. He is now a fully-fledged member of the processing department and his full-time position with us could not have been more deserved.”
Joe says he has been delighted to be given the opportunity to work in an important department of a city business which will next year be trading for its 50th year. “I’m really enjoying the job and I’m delighted to have been given the opportunity here, as EYG is a well-known established and well-known business, especially locally,” he said. “The job is challenging, enjoyable and rewarding as we process hundreds of contracts, both for domestic and commercial customers. Our role is important given that we check the technical surveys to ensure not only the right products are manufactured, but also the right number. There are lots of things to check, from the number of doors and windows to the style, type of glass, and even smaller details such as on which side doors hang. These all have to be right to ensure the right products are manufactured, both for the customer and for the business to avoid waste cost. I’ve also been involved in using my IT skills to produce reports for managers on product orders and pricing, so you really do get a sense of playing an important part in the daily processes off a large local business.”
Nick Ward, joint Managing Director of EYG, says the firm is committed to taking on young people and offering them the opportunity to show their worth. Apprentices working at the firm are studying for qualifications including Construction & the Built Environment, Business Admin, Fenestration, Social Media, Manufacturing, Advanced IT and the Fabrication of Glass Supporting Structures. “We believe local firms such as ourselves can play a key role in helping to develop the local talent pipeline and to tackle a skills shortage which is proving a challenge for many, especially in the construction industry,” he said. “As a growing business we have experienced difficulties at times in filling key roles within the business, but the talent is out there and by taking this approach we also get the benefit of being able to train young people in the specific skillsets we require.”
“We have introduced some very talented young people into our business in recent years this way.” Joe is one of more than 500 people supported by HBTC through its apprenticeship scheme across Hull, the East Riding and Lincolnshire between October 2018 and October 2019.
EYG was established in 1971 and achieved sales in excess of £25m in 2018. It manufactures and supplies windows, doors, conservatories and orangeries to domestic customers and thousands of windows, doors and curtain walling to large commercial developments across the UK each year.
