Mulalley has employed six Croydon apprentices to learn their trade on the job. The teenagers, aged 17 to 19, will work in a range of teams who help to upgrade Croydon’s 14,000 council homes across the borough.

For four days a week the apprentices will learn a range of skills from decorating and tiling to painting and plumbing with experienced Mulalley colleagues, and one day a week they will study for an intermediate-level apprenticeship in maintenance operations with partner organisation Croydon College.

One of the apprentices, Lewis Brown, aged 17 from South Croydon, said: “I am very pleased to have been invited into the apprenticeship scheme. My experience so far has been enjoyable and I am learning so much from my mentor. I am extremely enthusiastic and hope to establish a sound career in plumbing for the foreseeable future.”

Councillor Simon Hall, Cabinet member for Finance and Treasury said: “I’m really pleased that local workers, especially young people, have got these job opportunities with Mulalley as a direct result of its new contract with Croydon Council. Boosting local employment in our growing borough is really important to this council, and that’s why we’ll continue to make job creation a key part of our contracts when they come up for renewal.”

Mulalley Operations Director Bruce Benson said: “We are providing productive employment and on-site training for these six local apprentices and introducing them to the routine of regular work whilst at the same time encouraging their efforts and ensuring they feel they are progressing in a worthwhile career. We are not only transforming the homes of residents in Croydon but we will hopefully leave a longer-lasting legacy of skilled, trained, employable workers which will help to reduce unemployment in these areas in the future.”