L&S Celebrates Apprenticeship Success

Supporting young people into the waste industry with a range of apprenticeship schemes

Fareham based waste management firm, L&S Waste, is celebrating the success of four of its home-grown recruits who have recently undergone L&S apprenticeship programmes.

The L&S Apprenticeship scheme was established to attract and encourage new young talent into a career in the fast-growing waste industry, while encouraging existing employees to upskill and take on new roles and responsibilities within the company.

One young employee who took up the challenge, Jackson Brown (23), has recently passed with merit his Apprenticeship and Diploma in management & Leadership (Level 5). Having completed his three-year course, Jackson has moved from his role as weighbridge operator to a more senior supervisor role at the L&S Waste Rail Depot in Southampton.

He said: “When the opportunity presented itself, I jumped at the chance. A lot of people my age are simply looking for a desk job and wouldn’t really have considered joining a waste company. However, when I talk to friends about my progression within L&S I think they see the potential in working for local firms like L&S, who offer fantastic opportunities for young people to develop and grow their skills.”

Two further existing members of staff, Lee Young (20), and Ben Smith (24), have also recently completed their HGV licence training and have moved from their respective roles as a labourer and concrete pump operator, to fully qualified skip and concrete vehicle drivers for the firm.

Assistant Transport Manager at L&S Waste, Darren May, said: “L&S is taking an innovative approach to plugging the gaps in the industry by recruiting and funding HGV training for anyone who shows the right attitude and commitment.

“A career as a professional driver can be extremely rewarding and it’s something that we are seeing more young people consider, supported by Government schemes such as the reduction in the legal age requirement, from 21 to 18, the reduced license requirement from two years to one and funding support for apprenticeship schemes like ours.”

One other young person who was attracted by a career in the waste industry is Joshua Cole, 22, who, having completed the first year of his Apprenticeship in Maintenance Operations Engineering Technician (Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical), will now move on to the BTEC and NVQ stages for a further 3 years training.

Joshua said: “It’s a difficult time for many young people to find work, but if you have the attitude and willingness to study and work hard then there are opportunities out there. The L&S apprenticeship is a fantastic opportunity for me to gain practical experience of mechanical engineering while at the same time as gaining those all-important qualifications.”

L&S Waste Management is offering a number of apprenticeship style opportunities, where young people entering the industry can benefit from on-the-job-training with the potential to study towards a variety of waste industry and general management qualifications. There are a currently a number of opportunities available for plant operators, HGV drivers, administration, management, sales and service roles, based across depots in Southampton, Portsmouth and Fareham.

All training is completed at local colleges, in association with leading industry providers, such as PETA. Apprentices will be given the opportunity to join the company on a fully paid 6-month programme with a guaranteed permanent job offer, following a successful induction period.

General Manager at L&S Waste, Steve Harman, said: “We are seeing a greater number of younger people turning to the waste industry as a serious career choice and we often hear candidates mention in their interviews how well regarded the L&S training programme is. It’s also really encouraging to see the level of interest we have received from existing employees with a willingness to learn new skills and progress their careers with the company.

“While there is a significant cost involved in training and upskilling new and existing staff, we tend to find that investing in our young talent is a great way to encourage loyalty and commitment.

“It’s also extremely important as a business to have an effective management succession programme, and there’s no better way to do this than nurturing talent from within.”

L&S Waste currently employs more than 150 people across Hampshire, and operates a fleet of 100 vehicles across its three sites in Portsmouth, Fareham and Southampton, delivering a full range of waste management, concrete, aggregate and portable toilet services.

For further information on career opportunities within L&S Waste Management please contact careers@lswaste.co.uk or visit www.lswaste.co.uk/about-us/vacancies/