The Deputy Leader of City of York Council, alongside senior council officers, recently visited the Portakabin head office in York.
Portakabin, the market leader in the manufacture and construction of modular buildings, is one of York’s largest employers, with over 1,000 people working across its head office and manufacturing facility in the city. The company has proudly called York home for more than 60 years.
As a globally recognised brand, Portakabin recently welcomed local leaders to its York headquarters to discuss future growth opportunities, the importance of strong public-private partnerships, and to reflect on recent successes, including a thriving apprenticeship scheme that is opening skilled career paths for young people across the region.
The apprenticeship scheme at Portakabin offers its people development opportunities, with 98% of apprentices offered a full-time career with the company once their apprenticeship completes.
Apprenticeships range from the required skills for modular building construction such as electrical apprenticeships, to product design, quantity surveying, finance, and marketing.
Councillor Pete Kilbane, Deputy Leader of the Council with responsibility for Economy and Culture, said:
I was delighted to accept the invitation from Portakabin to visit their head office and hear about the work taking place to provide skilled and well-paid jobs.
“York is a fantastic place to do business, we have a highly skilled population, and it is a great place to live.
“A key priority of this council is for the city to have a fair, thriving, green economy for all, which provides opportunities and well-paid jobs. Portakabin are one of many amazing businesses in York who will help us to achieve that ambition. It was particularly good to hear so much about their apprenticeship schemes and how that is turning into long-term careers for our young people.”
Dan Ibbetson, CEO at Portakabin said:
We were delighted to welcome Councillor Pete Kilbane to our Head Office here in York. We are proud to be a York based business, delivering exceptional spaces across the UK and Northern Europe from our home here in Huntington.
“Our successes are testament to the people that work here, the highly skilled and motivated teams that deliver a meaningful impact both in work and the wider York community. It was a pleasure to give Councillor Kilbane and other senior leaders from the council an insight into the people, community and spaces we deliver here at Portakabin.”
For businesses big and small there’s lots of support available to help your business prosper and thrive through the council’s Growth Managers. For more information visit: https://www.york.gov.uk/GrowYourBusiness or email economicgrowth@york.gov.uk.