DUE DILIGENCE
All of our contractors are subject to due diligence via our
onboarding process which ensures that our suppliers and
sub-contractors have an awareness of our modern slavery
commitments, along with our expectations.
The onboarding process involves a face-to-face meeting between
our site teams, commercial teams and the relevant contractor to
discuss contract orders and Vistry Group policies, and how they
are best implemented. If any concerns are raised, then further
clarification may be sought. We require our Group suppliers to
confirm their understanding of our Modern Slavey policy and
provide copies of their own modern slavery policies.
We meet regularly with our suppliers to review their
performance and, if necessary, raise matters of concern

However, when I attended a seminar on the subject and questioned this 8-month apprenticeship proposal, stating that no one would want their electrical work done by someone with only 8 months experience under their belt, the response was that of course the duration of the apprenticeship would depend on the trade being undertaken.
It did sound to me like the 8-month apprenticeship being touted was for headline grabbing only.

Also, it is a bit much to accuse the government of prioritising cutting costs over skills, when the major firms in the industry itself, did the same thing. They abandoned hiring apprentices in favour of sub-contracting out, followed by the sub-contractors, themselves, using only self-employed people. There is no room for employing apprentices here.

Once again, I say, there is plenty for training providers to do when it comes to providing the foundational diplomas, but there is nowhere to go to when seeking an apprenticeship afterwards, the bit that provides the much-needed experience needed to qualify.

Denise Brennan