Guy Newman


FEATURE Apprentices


BY HAJERA BLAGG Find out more HERE


Second to none – Unite’s John Bennett, Jay Watson, Rob Miguel


Reaching out at Devonport A new initiative has led to more young members


Recruiting young people to the union isn’t easy. But Unite in Devonport, Plymouth, has had astounding success.


Every year, defence services giant Babcock International takes on around 100 apprentices to work in the Devonport dockyards. Of these, Unite has historically recruited only a handful.


But following a new initiative, recruitment has gone up twelve-fold, from about five each year to 70.


So what changed? Unite site convenor John Bennett realised there had never been a process in place to recruit and support apprentices. John then approached management to change all that.


“The company allowed us to set up a stall on induction day and introduce ourselves,” he said. “We were also given an hour with the apprentices when they’re introduced to the site.”


Unite regional officer Rob Miguel said as part of their new recruitment plans, they spoke to apprentices’ parents.


“If you give a young person a form, they’re


pretty unwilling to sign unless their parents say so,” he said.


“Also the scenario of son joining father in the dockyard, and so automatically joining the union, is no longer a given. Now you have parents working in different sectors who may have misconceptions about unions.”


What impressed sceptical parents most was the partnership that exists between the company and the union.


Rob and John have also developed a presentation given to apprentices on induction day – one that distils union benefits in terms that young people can understand.


Rob highlights that recruiting apprentices is an important objective but not the only one. “We want them to be in the union because we want to support them,” he explains.


That’s where Jay comes in. Unite shop steward Jay Watson, 28, completed his apprenticeship a few years ago, and has since been appointed as one of Unite’s apprentice liaisons.


30 uniteWORKS Summer 2016


“We realised most apprentices didn’t want to talk to older people – they didn’t feel comfortable,” John said.


Not only does Jay act as a point of contact for apprentices on the dockyard, he also visits apprentices in college.


“Before there was no contact between the union and apprentices before starting onsite,” Jay explained. “


“I see them regularly in college and make sure they’re keeping up with their coursework. They also talk to me about personal issues as one of their peers – for example, girlfriend or boyfriend issues, which at that age can have a huge impact on their progress in the apprenticeship.”


“We’ve developed a lot of trust,” he added. “They don’t feel like they’re alone.”


Jay recently attended an apprentice event in Bristol, where he explained to trade unionists and companies the approach Unite had taken at Babcock.


“The feedback from the event was remarkable,” Rob noted. “What we’re doing here is second to none.”


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