Blenheim Palace on target to achieve 10-year apprenticeship goal

With National Apprenticeship Week 2024 on the horizon (February 5-11), Blenheim Palace is on target to achieve its 10-year goal of training over 100 new apprentices by the end of 2027.

Across its various businesses – Palace, Estate and Property – it has already completed 49 apprenticeships since 2017, and currently has 38 apprentices on site*, working in a range of departments and disciplines, including Built Heritage, Forestry, Events & Hospitality, Game, Finance, Security, and Construction.

This year, Blenheim Estate Homes and Pye Homes welcomed five new apprentices to the team, learning a range of trades from bricklaying to carpentry to plumbing. The young people will follow a 24-month Blenheim Estate apprenticeship program, which will not only equip them with valuable skills but hopefully lead to full-time employment with the Oxfordshire housebuilder.

Dominic Hare, CEO of Blenheim Palace, commented: “The Blenheim and Pye apprenticeship programme is something I am immensely proud of. We are helping young, local people learn and develop skills and set them up for a blossoming career.”

He added: “Our apprentices are some of our best people, and they are also injecting a new lease of life into the veteran staff who are being given the opportunity to teach their trades to a new generation.

“The passing down of skills, principles and practices is a vital part of building not only a legacy which anyone can be proud of, but also a community which improves the quality of life for future residents.”

Emma Norridge, People Manager at Blenheim Palace, added: “Our apprenticeships range from entry level 2 all the way up to Level 7, which is equivalent to a master’s degree.”

“Not only are we using our apprentice levy to develop young people, but are also using it to allow people to learn new skills in their current roles and for those to have a complete career change.”

CASE STUDY: Aimee Akinola – Built Heritage at Blenheim Palace
Aimee, 26, completed the first part of her architecture training but decided to move into a project management apprenticeship role at Blenheim Palace so she can earn and learn.

She will soon be a Construction Project Manager, working on all the restoration projects across the whole of the Blenheim Palace World Heritage Site.

What does it mean to be an apprentice at Blenheim – and working in Built Heritage, traditionally a male-dominated environment?
For me, being an apprentice at Blenheim is a unique once in a lifetime type of opportunity. From working with other apprentices across different parts of the business, to working in and around a World Heritage Site. Every day is different!

Working in what is a traditionally male-dominated environment can be daunting especially as a young woman. However, I am in a fortunate position to have a female line manager (Kelly Whitton, Head of Built Heritage) who has navigated and led in a male-dominated sector for years. She taught me the importance of resilience and being assertive, which are life skills I also use in other areas of my life.

Why did you choose to go down the apprenticeship route?
After 5 years in uni (3 on my BA and 2 on my MA) I wanted a career change, but I was also at an age where I needed to start getting some real-world experience under my belt. Rather than going back to university for another three years, I am able to learn on the job whilst putting it into practice on a daily basis. This style of learning suits me very well!

What are your career aspirations?
I hope to complete a degree apprenticeship to become an RICS accredited construction manager at Blenheim and I hope to be able to lead on bigger projects in the future. Maybe one day becoming Head of Built Heritage!

Do you have advice to give anyone who might be interested in working in architecture and built heritage one day?
Architecture is all about being creative and working with people and the environment, so travel the world if you can, learn something new from every person that you speak to, keep an open mind and run headfirst towards every problem that comes your way.

ENDS
Issued on behalf of Blenheim Palace and Estate. For more information please contact Jon Perks or Allyson Richardson at Cab Campaign – blenheim@cabcampaign.co.uk

*Current Blenheim apprentices:
• Aimee-Anna Akinola – Built Heritage
• Niko Nenonen-Milar – Letting
• Lilly King – HR
• Ella Tompkin – Retail
• Andrew Kinnane – Warehouse
• Zaccharius Tebbenham – Pye Homes
• Jake Cousins – Pye Homes
• Sam Fernandes – Pye Homes
• Richard Hawkins – Pye Homes
• Mason Buy – Pye Homes
• Michal Maciejewski – Finance
• Emily Golding – Operations
• Erin Callaghan – Retail
• Harry Foley – Property
• Abby Woolley – Retail
• Milandie Oosthuizen – Catering
• Liam Morris – Catering
• Danny Mckeran – Catering
• Jonah Barnes – Catering
• Amelia Robinson – Marketing
• Megan Johnston – Finance
• Tiff Hickman – HR
• Leo Weatherall – Game
• Ben Baimbridge – Letting
• Max James – Pye Homes
• George McDonald – Operations
• Rob Fairfield – Pye Homes
• Alexa Frost – Operations
• Gavin Donnelly – Security
• Danielle Simpson – Pye Homes
• Emilia Callaghan – Operations
• Christian Parris – Rural
• William Pearce – Rural
• Milly Foxcroft – Gardens
• Hebe Stapleton – Operations

About Blenheim Palace
Home to the Dukes of Marlborough since 1705, Blenheim Palace was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

Set in over 2,000 acres of ‘Capability’ Brown landscaped parkland and designed by Vanbrugh in the Baroque style, it was financed by Queen Anne, on behalf of a grateful nation, following the first Duke of Marlborough’s triumph over the French in the War of the Spanish Succession.

Today it houses one of the most important and extensive collections in Europe, which includes portraits, furniture, sculpture and tapestries.

Blenheim Palace is also the birthplace of one of Britain’s most famous leaders, Sir Winston Churchill, and it was his father who described the vista on entering the Estate from the village of Woodstock as the ‘finest view in England’.

About Blenheim Estate

At Blenheim Estate Land we know that our land is precious and finite, but cared for properly its benefits can be limitless. Yet today there are fresh challenges like climate change, an ageing population and increasing urbanisation.

So our approach – spanning a number of projects – needs to be as sophisticated, enduring and holistic as those issues we face.

By adopting new methods of valuing our natural capital we can view our land resources as part of an ecosystem. An ecosystem whose benefits extend to the air we all breathe, the green transport solutions that connect our communities, the physical and mental health we enjoy, and the quality of the food we consume.