Neil Kinnock pictured at TAD Builders with Anthony Jones, Delwyn Jones, Nia Griffith MP, young apprentices from TAD Builders and Hengoed by election candidates Penny Edwards and Tonia Antoniazzi.
Anthony and Delwyn Jones, Directors of TAD Builders offered a very warm welcome to Lord Neil Kinnock who visited the family building business in Furness very early Friday morning, along with Nia Griffith MP, Penny Edwards, the wife of the late Councillor George Edwards, who used to represent the Furnace area on the County Council, and Tonia Antoniazzi who teaches at Bryngwyn School. Bryngwyn is one of the local schools which sends 14-year old pupils for training in building skills with TAD builders. The pupils spend a half-day a week at the firm for two years, developing their building skills and gaining a BTEC qualification.
Penny Edwards, who is Labour’s candidate for the County Council by-election on Thursday explained the important links between local firms like TAD Builders and the County Council,
“We are lucky to have a good local firms like TAD builders to carry out the essential work of refurbishing the County Council’s 9,000 council homes – because this means that the money that Carmarthenshire is spending on this programme is not only providing council tenants with homes that they can be proud of, but is also keeping local builders in work and creating apprenticeships for young people. “
Tonia Antoniazzi who is also standing for election on Thursday, as Labour’s candidate for the Llanelli Rural Council said,
“The facilities and the support here at TAD Builders offer pupils in Y10 and Y11 from my school and the other Llanelli schools a real chance to develop building skills and find out if they want to pursue a career in the building trade. Also since TAD took over this premises in 2009, they have smartened up the site here in Furnace.”
Speaking to apprentices in the training room, Neil Kinnock said,
“We have got to start valuing the trade skills much more – as a valid career pathway. In other countries like Denmark where I have two grand-daughters growing up, students of all abilities are encouraged to take up practical and technical options.”