CADS celebrates Apprenticeship Week by highlighting young workforce success
As the UK celebrates National Apprenticeship Week from 10 to 16 February 2025, we highlight our young workforce success.
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2025 National Apprenticeship Week
The government-run National Apprenticeship Week is an opportunity to celebrate the impact and achievements of apprentices around the country.
At CADS, based in Great Yarmouth, we are investing in training the next generation in the specialist services our highly skilled team delivers for the retail and measured surveying industries. Here we proudly highlight the achievements of our award-winning young team.
In the Autumn of 2022, we welcomed two new starters to the company as Apprentice CAD Operators based in the Great Yarmouth office. Lilly Thompson and Jack Prendergast were employed by TrAC, a Flexi-Job Apprenticeship Agency.
Role specific CAD training
Lilly, aged 20, undertook a Level 3 Business Administration course following successful completion of her A levels. Jack, aged 18, trained to be a Level 3 Information Communications Technician, having completed a level 3 course in engineering at college.
Retail space planning for household names
CADS’ retail store planning team has over 40 years’ experience working with household names. We plan and optimise store layouts and floorplans and have the largest team of experienced UK-based retail planners. Jack and Lilly were both seconded into the retail space planning team for role specific training during their CADS apprenticeship.
As an apprentice CAD operator, Lilly looked forward to the challenge of learning new skills and working in a job with variation. Lilly explains:
“I have really enjoyed the drawing tasks I’ve been working on at CADS, together with the challenge of learning the new skills required to do this.”
Jack was attracted to apply for an apprenticeship with CADS to learn more about CAD and train for a career in computer systems design:
“I liked the idea of travelling to new places and working away from home. Learning different, smarter ways to do things is something I really enjoy. I look forward to developing my software skills and learning new programs.”
CADS develops skills of future with apprenticeship scheme
During National Apprenticeship Week (5–11 February 2024), we celebrated the successes of our award-winning young workforce. We also welcomed two new apprentices. As leaders in retail space planning and surveying, we take pride in developing talent and shaping future industry experts.
Read more
Trainee Geospatial Surveyor
In July 2023 the company welcomed Liam Franklin to the CADS Surveys team as a Trainee Geospatial Surveyor. He began a two-year block release course at Dudley College on a Geospatial Survey Technician Apprenticeship course.
Liam looked forward to building upon his existing Revit knowledge. He also wanted to increase his skill set through the range of reality capture instrumentation and software packages CADS Surveys use on a daily basis.
New apprentices join the scheme
CADS Space planning experts CADS were employing six apprentices by February 2024. Five through the TrAC scheme including new starters – Callum Irving, Axel Davenport and Emily Klumper. They are employed as apprentice CAD Operators on the Business Administration Apprenticeship.
Axel joined CADS from his previous role as a teaching assistant. Callum joined the company straight from university having supported his time in education by working at Primark and Tesco’s. Callum recently recorded his apprenticeship journey in an insight article.
Apprenticeship training success
In August 2024 we celebrated our young workforce success as Lilly formally passed her apprenticeship and officially joined CADS in September. Jack formally passed his apprenticeship. He achieved a final grade of Merit (which included a distinction for his end project) and a qualification of Level 3 ICT (Support Technician) Digital in Nov 2024. Jack joined CADS officially in December 2024.
As leaders in employing apprentices in Great Yarmouth and across Norfolk, CADS are setting the standard for collaborative working and shaping the future of recruitment. TrAC is proud to collaborate with such an innovative company.
AutoCAD training
Apprentice training within the company begins with basic AutoCAD training. Each apprentice then experiences an overview of the departments in which CADS specialise in – measured building surveys and retail planning. This insight allows the business to pinpoint a suitable department where the apprentices would thrive and offer the maximum support to the business.
The apprenticeship scheme has been an enormous success for CADS. Two, soon to be three apprentices have become full time employees in the Retail Planning team upon successful completion of their apprenticeship. An additional two apprentices are also most of the way through their apprenticeships.
Pictured below : Duncan Nash, Apprentice Development Manager at TrAC presenting CADS’ apprentice, Emily Klumper with an “Apprentice of the month” award.
A career in retail space planning
Axel Davenport says :
It has been a great first year at CADS. There have been so many skills I have developed since starting, the people here are amazing and understanding. TrAC have always been willing to help, and they’ve been assisting me with my progression fantastically. I look forward to continuing my apprenticeship at CADS!
As UK leaders in retail store planning and measured site surveys, we wanted to “grow our own” staff, with specific on-site training leading to a successful career in the space planning industry. We also wanted to ethically provide life-long career prospects by giving individuals starting their working lives the opportunity for a career and employment. Bringing youngsters into the business also had the added benefit of providing a new dynamic, fresh thinking, and creative problem-solving techniques.
Partnering with TrAC
Duncan Nash, Lead Account Manager at TrAC says :
“CADS are committed to fostering the growth and development of their workforce through Apprenticeships. By partnering with TrAC, they have successfully employed five apprentices to contribute to retail floor design and have enrolled them in programmes ranging from IT to Business Administration. TrAC’s Flexi-Job Apprenticeship Scheme has played a crucial role in supporting their commitment to workforce development and skills training.
As leaders in employing apprentices in Great Yarmouth and across Norfolk, CADS are setting the standard for collaborative working and shaping the future of recruitment. TrAC is proud to collaborate with such an innovative company,”
concludes Duncan
Apply to work at CADS
Interested in applying to work at CADS? Get in touch via hr@cadsonline.com – We are always interested to hear from talented and motivated individuals.
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