A CHIPPING Sodbury based business have celebrated the hard work of 40 staff members by holding a special lunch.

Apprentices, trainees and staff members at Ian Williams, a property services specialist, were all recognised as making a “vital contribution” to the business an at a Qualification Celebration event at Bristol’s Ashton Gate Stadium in March.

Speaking at the event, Sian Pearce, Training and Development Manager, explained the decision to hold the lunch.

She said: “Quite simply, we’re here today to celebrate the successes achieved by Ian Williams’ apprentices and trainees.

“We appreciate the commitment and effort that everyone has made and recognise that studying and working at the same time is no mean feat.”

Managing Director Andy Havard added that trainees and apprentices are incredibly important to the company. 

He said: “I started my career at Ian Williams 32 years ago, as a Trainee Surveyor and Operations Director. The career paths are there to see.

“In this room today are the future managers and directors who will eventually take the reins at Ian Williams and drive profitable growth over the next 70 years.

“Congratulations to everyone today for their achievements.”

Employing in the region of 1000 people, Ian Williams has made a commitment to ensure that 10% of its total workforce are apprentices in 2017.

Their apprenticeship programme is managed by the Ian Williams Academy, which delivered over 6000 days of training and personal development in 2016.

For more information on Ian Williams, including their apprenticeship programme, visit their website here.