A Denbighshire businessman was recently commended at a special reception at 10 Downing Street for the industry accredited training courses in construction and plant operating skills that his company is providing young people in the area.
Vale of Clwyd MP Dr James Davies invited Chairman of Ruthin-based Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK, Huw Jones, to a Local Skills Reception in Downing Street in recognition of the successful apprenticeship and trainee scheme he is providing.
Prior to attending the reception, Huw went on a tour of Parliament and visited the gallery of the House of Commons Chamber.
Commenting afterwards, James said:
“I was extremely pleased to have the opportunity to welcome Huw to the Local Skills Reception at 10 Downing Street. It was pleasing to see him receive the credit deserved for the fantastic work he is doing in providing young people with training courses in construction and plant operating skills.
“I have visited Jones Bros a number of times in recent years and during my last visit had the pleasure of meeting and speaking to some of the apprentices. They told me of the benefits of training on the job.
“Huw has previously said to me that the apprentices and trainees are “the lifeblood of our company and they are employed from day one and not just at the end of their course".
“Jones Bros clearly recognise the crucial need to invest in our young people and to provide them with the tools they need to succeed in life.
“The company is one of the UK’s leading civil engineering contractors with a wealth of knowledge and experience across a broad range of sectors and it is great that this is being passed on to future generations.
“Their apprenticeship scheme has an impressive retention rate with many of the apprentices working their way up through the company over the years.
“I am extremely proud to have such a successful business and apprenticeship programme in Denbighshire and it was great to share and celebrate their great success at Number 10.”
Huw, who in 2020 was awarded an MBE for services to the economy in Wales, said:
“As a company we are committed to helping young people gain knowledge, experience, and qualifications that will help them for the rest of their careers.
“We have recruited more than 100 apprentices and trainees during the past three years, with many of our senior managers having started out on the schemes.”
On his trip to London, he added: “I had a fantastic visit to Parliament and very much enjoyed the reception at Downing Street. It was a special day and I thank James for inviting me.”
Secretary of State for Education, Rt Hon Gillian Keegan MP said:
“James is a huge champion for skills in the Vale of Clwyd. It was fantastic to celebrate the brilliant work going on across the country to develop the skills our local communities need to grow the economy and to hear more about what is being achieved at Jones Bros.”
