Social Value Report 2021-2022

MARIA GORE (KICKSTART) Maria took her A-levels in 2020 during the pandemic, and says it was “near impossible” for young people with little workplace experience to find apprenticeships or jobs. “When I heard about this opportunity, I was eager to apply and see what it was like,” she says. She admits to knowing “little to nothing” about construction before joining FM Conway in January 2021: “The construction industry was never seen as a route that I could look into at my school, and that led to my misjudgement about women in such an industry.” Maria, who won the 2021 CECA Midlands Kickstarter of the Year Award, says she found the whole Kickstart journey interesting, and wants to encourage more women to discover the industry. Since completing the programme, she has been taken on as an apprentice and is studying for a Business Management Degree Apprenticeship.

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