Name: Matthew Brunt
Company Name: Stanmore Contractors Limited
Job Title: Commercial Director (Pre-Contract)
Investing in apprentices is key to business success
As the commercial director of Stanmore Contractors Limited, Matthew Brunt is a strong believer in the value of degree apprenticeships to successful organisations like his own.
“Over the years, we’ve found that keeping fresh talent coming through our business is key to our ongoing success,” Matthew says. “Without good apprentices coming through our business, our teams would not be able to grow.
“Our industry evolves constantly just like the degree apprenticeships our staff undertake at the University of Greenwich. These programmes help ensure that we can continue to provide the best service to our clients.”
Aligning with our core values
Matthew is proud of his company’s culture and history of identifying and promoting talent. "Many of our staff have been with the company for a long time and we always look to promote from within the business. Most of our management staff have progressed through the ranks, many having joined the business as school leavers.
“Training and developing staff from within the business has always been a core value of ours so enrolling our staff on apprenticeship programmes is a natural step for us. We find that our staff get the best training by having the practical knowledge from doing the job on a day-to-day basis, while also having the academic knowledge from their on-the-job learning.”
A great selling point for our business
Matthew says that being able to offer apprenticeships to new staff is a great selling point for their business. He highlighted the financial benefits of degree apprenticeships to learners, and the combination of studying and practical learning that these programmes offer. Both of these benefits are real advantages over traditional full-time studying.
“As a result, we receive many quality applicants when we advertise a degree apprenticeship,” Matthew says.
Longstanding links with the university
Matthew was keen to highlight his company’s longstanding links with the University of Greenwich. “I’m a graduate myself, having done an apprenticeship many years ago,” he says. “Our surveying manager and surveying director are degree apprenticeship graduates too.
“We also have other managers within our commercial team who are graduates of the University of Greenwich, who are now mentors for our current apprentices. This experience helps ensure we can give the best support to our apprentices during their programme.”
Close working relationship with the university
Matthew and his team work closely with the University of Greenwich to ensure that apprenticeships stay as relevant and as useful as possible to both learners and employers. “We keep a good level of communication with the university at all times,” he says.
A typical day for an apprentice
“A typical day for an apprentice within our commercial department will involve various levels of communication, whether that is with their colleagues or clients,” Matthew says. “Often this is face-to-face but also via telephone and video calls. They will undertake pricing of new work for clients while reviewing tender information and engaging with our supply chain. They will provide support for a senior member of the department that they are teamed with. This member of the department is responsible for the progress of our apprentice.”
A rewarding investment
“Investing in apprentices can be massively rewarding,” says Matthew. “Giving new staff the best training available, both from within the business and from a university like Greenwich, will ensure they are well-rounded individuals by the time that they graduate.”
