Staff at one of Wiltshire’s most successful small businesses John Williams Heating Services had a surprise visitor yesterday (March 26) when the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions came by.
Iain Duncan Smith MP was visiting Wiltshire with Conservative PPC Michelle Donelan when he called on company owners John and Debbie Williams at their showroom on the Bumpers Farm Industrial Estate in Chippenham.
Debbie said: “We were only asked the previous day if we would be available to speak to the Secretary of State and we were delighted to be asked.
“We discussed apprenticeships and how they fit into our business.
“He told us how, when he was leader of the opposition, he visited a school in Holland and how they identify early on in education some students prefer more practical studies.
“We talked about how crucial it is to get into local schools and promote apprenticeships as a really viable career path.”
Debbie Williams has recently been appointed as an Apprentice Ambassador for the national Skills Funding Agency. John Williams Heating Services has been employing apprentices since 2011 and currently has four apprentices.
John Williams Heating Services has been a part of the Wiltshire business community for more than ten years. The company offers plumbing services from changing a washer to a full bathroom design and installation; heating services including LPG gas, oil and renewables; domestic and commercial maintenance and servicing of heating and plumbing systems.
The company won the award for Best Small Business and Business of the Year 2014 in the Enterprising Wiltshire awards.
