WILLMOTT Dixon, which provides a repair and maintenance service to Yorkshire Coast Homes’ 4,500 housing stock, has joined educational professionals in Scarborough and Whitby to offer opportunities in construction and maintenance to young people.

Willmott Dixon’s Opening Doors scheme offers work experience, building maintenance skills and apprenticeships to young people, Yorkshire Coast Homes’ tenants and other local residents, in trade skills such as carpentry, plumbing, joinery and decorating.

Melanie Watson, customer and community officer for Willmott Dixon, said: “The initiative has been extremely well received by partners and the local people with whom we have engaged since its launch 12 months ago.”

The business offers two-week work experience placements to at least ten school or college students every year. It sends ambassadors into schools and youth centres to inform young people about routes into the industry, also working with youngsters on job-seeking skills, improving their CVs and conducting mock interviews to build their confidence.

Through the Opening Doors programme, the company has recruited two apprentices in the local area in the last year. It aims to double this by 2012, and its success has led to the introduction of a newly-opened Willmott Dixon Academy Scarborough Training Centre that aims to give long-term skills training to hundreds of people from Scarborough and the local region.

It offers NVQ training and invites local residents to participate in every course held, with a particular emphasis on those affected by redundancies and business closures in the area.

Willmott Dixon has entered the Best Employer & Education Link category at The Press Business Awards 2011.