Brighton and Hove Albion are working with TrAC to give a helping hand to two TrAC apprentices, Harry, 29 & Darren, 20, who are embarking on a career in the construction industry by funding their three year pipefitting apprenticeship training.

Sally Moore, Director of TrAC said, “We help young people to begin their careers in the construction industry and we help businesses to have apprentices working with them in the industry for a period that matches their project timescales. 

“Every one of the apprentices who have completed their apprenticeship with TrAC since we started in 2012 has successfully progressed into work or further training. This demonstrates how valuable TrAC's work is in improving retention in apprenticeships in the construction industry.”

Harry said, “I’d like to say thank you to Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club for funding my construction apprenticeship. Without their help, and without TrAC’s support, I would not have been able to do it. My advice to anyone considering an apprenticeship is to go for it.”

Darren added: “I was amazed to hear that my Apprenticeship was being funded by a Premier League club and I would like to say thank you to them for helping with this and helping to launch my career.”

Rose Read, Albion's head of people and culture, said, “We're delighted to be teaming up with TrAC to divert some of our Apprenticeship Levy funds, that would otherwise have been returned to government as unspent, to help Harry and Darren.

“They were amazed when they were told they were being supported by the club. We'll be keeping in touch with their progress and wish them well for the next three years.”

Maddy Buxton, Business and Finance Manager at TrAC added, “One of the challenges for a small not-for-profit company like ours is how we access enough apprenticeship funding to enable all the young people we support to start an apprenticeship. Offers of help and support like this from Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club are amazingly valuable to us so that we can support more young people like Darren and Harry.”