APPRENTICES have been involved in the restoration of York's Guildhall after the council teamed up with the contractor to create opportunities.

City of York Council has worked with VINCI Construction to deliver apprenticeships as part of the redevelopment of the historic building for students looking to join the construction industry.

Making these opportunities available was an important aspect of the council’s tender process, and it has given students a chance to develop practical experience of an active construction site.

While on placement, students have been able to take part in building and engineering activities across a variety of roles, from project management to carpentry and consultancy.

One student, undertaking a construction course at York College, experienced life as an engineer working on site and has been rewarded with an offer of employment at VINCI Building.

She will now be working toward qualifying as a Civil Engineer at the company.

Rob Henderson, project manager at Vinci Construction UK said: “It has been fantastic to provide so many opportunities on this unique project to those undertaking an apprentice course in various trades.

"One of the highlights has been that we were able to offer someone a technical apprentice role with VINCI following their successful work placement with us where they decided that a site-based engineering role is really what they wanted to do."

Cllr Andrew Waller, executive member for economy and strategic planning said: “The Guildhall restoration project represents an iconic part of our city’s future development, and it’s fantastic to see it giving young people from across York the chance to develop their careers.

"This just goes to show that as well as bricks and mortar, the Guildhall project is also building up new opportunities in vital skilled industries for students and apprentices.

“Apprenticeships offer a fantastic chance to gain direct experience of a range of industries, and the Guildhall restoration project serves as a great example of the value of City of York Council’s partnerships in delivering these.”