One of the region’s leading regeneration organisation BEC are celebrating a year of their first ever apprenticeship intake.
West Cumbrian based social impact property developers BEC launched their BECademy programme a year ago this month and are recognising the impact their apprentice intake has made in the community.
BEC hired five apprentices in a range of functions across their organisation such as project management, facilities management, marketing and business support based at Westlakes Science Park in Whitehaven.
The apprentices in their first year have been involved in the development of BEC’s schemes such as the Bus Station and their plans to create a Digital and Gaming Hub in Whitehaven, as well as the Soundwave Music Hub and environmental initiatives across their estates.
Each apprentice has been attached to a college course and a team mentor relevant to their job within the organisation. This is the first time BEC have facilitated such a significant intake in the company’s current guise since 2012.
Joseph Blakeley, one of the apprentices who is working as a Digital Marketeer said joining a company that has such a positive impact on the area he lives in was part of his reasons, “When deciding on what apprenticeship to do, BEC was always at the top of my list of options. I knew I wanted to work somewhere that would allow me to feel satisfied in the work I’d be doing and actually see physical change in my community- BEC was the natural choice.
“Even after just one year of my apprenticeship, I have already experienced so much. I’ll always remember being a part of the event team for BEC’s stall at Whitehaven Alive 2023. It was a great chance to engage with the community and talk about all that we have going on here at BEC! It was amazing to see the support we have in the local area for these projects,” Joe says.
Another of BEC’s apprentices Beth Forbes who is currently working as a Support Services Assistant, said: “I chose BEC as they really care about the environment and the people within each town. It feels very rewarding to work alongside people who want to give back to our community.
“The project that was my highlight was the Community Conversation events. This allowed the apprentices to work together as a team and share ideas about ways to interact with the different communities around us. It was interesting to see the different outcomes of each event and the data that we collated.”
BEC’s Chief Executive Officer Michael Pemberton added: “We are proud of how our apprentices have grown in the last 12 months, their dedication, enthusiasm, energy and can-do attitude has gone above and beyond our expectations!
“Their contribution and commitment is incredibly important to the work we are doing here at BEC, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds and what more they achieve with us.”
To discover more about the opportunities at BEC visit their website discoverbec.com
