Abby Garner, Sustainability Manager at Aden Contracting Ltd, a Bedford-based construction and engineering firm, says working with Milton Keynes College Group has been seamless and is helping them to drive diversity and bridge a skills gap.

Aden Contracting has been working with MK College for just over a year, taking on six groundworker apprentices so far thanks to its relationship with the College.

According to Abby, the apprentices have brought with them a host of benefits and the apprenticeship programme has now become a key element of their business strategy.

She said, “For us here at Aden, hiring apprentices is a productive and effective way to grow talent and develop a motivated, skilled and qualified workforce. The benefits of apprentices to the groundworks industry are endless, from bringing diversity into the built environment to creating opportunity and developing young people.”

The firm’s commitment to diversity was recognised at MK College’s Apprenticeship Awards in 2022 when Aden Contracting was the proud recipient of our Diversity and Inclusion Award.

Talking about their decision to work with the College, Abby said, “Aden chose Milton Keynes College as their local training provider as we knew the apprentices would benefit hugely from the facilities at the Groundwork Training Centre and the high-quality approach the College has to apprenticeships and education.”

She added, “They have helped to make our whole journey to taking on apprentices seamless. We couldn’t be happier with the support and guidance we have received from the college throughout the entire process.”

Aden Contracting now plans to continue to grow its apprenticeship programme and Abby is keen to urge other employers who may be considering working with the College to take the leap.

She advised:

“Do it, you won’t regret it! They make the whole process so easy and are always there to support you and your apprentices.”

For more information on working with MK College, contact the Employer team on employerteam@mkcollege.ac.uk