Northumberland teenager gets civil engineering apprenticeship back on track after previous employer went bust

Robbie Gleghorn, 17, started his apprenticeship at Killingworth-based Metnor Construction, which collapsed in February leaving him out of a job.

Construction firm Galliford Try has now taken Robbie on, allowing him to continue his apprenticeship while working on a £65m project to build a subsea cable manufacturing facility near Blyth.

Robbie said: “I am happy to have the opportunity with Galliford Try to continue my apprenticeship and gain more experience as the project goes on.

“With this project being so close to home, I regularly pass it and will always remember it as the project where I completed my apprenticeship.

“I am looking forward to seeing this project progress and be completed by the time I finish my NVQ at college by 2025.”

Robbie will spend four days a week on the former Blyth Power Station site, coincidentally where his dad worked as a mechanical maintenance apprentice in the 1990s, and one day a week at New College Durham.

After graduating he will have the opportunity to become an assistant site manager and study for a degree apprenticeship.

Cliff Wheatley, managing director at Galliford Try North East and Yorkshire, said: “It is great we could help Robbie resume his apprenticeship and get his NVQ back on track.

“He will no doubt become a valued member of our team and I look forward to watching his progression.

“Apprenticeships are an excellent route into the industry and provide young people with important on-the-job experience, much more than they would have otherwise been able to achieve in traditional education.”