About the role:

Gentoo is a values-led, charitable organisation that provides more than 60,000 people in Sunderland with a place they can call home. We have a clear vision and a social purpose. We believe that everyone has the right to live in a good quality home that they can afford.

We have created 350 apprenticeship opportunities since forming in 2001, with over 90% completing their apprenticeship with us. This year we are delighted to announce that we are investing a further £250k to recruit additional apprentices across the group. All apprentices will benefit from a combination of hands-on working opportunities and off-site training while studying towards a formal qualification in a chosen career.
To ensure our customers are at the heart of everything we do, we will prioritise applications from our customers and young people leaving care. If they meet the relevant entry criteria and they will be guaranteed an interview, however, applications are open to everyone over the age of 16.

We are also taking advantage of recent changes to remove GCSE entry requirements for applicants over 19 where appropriate. This will ensure the apprenticeships are accessible to as many people as possible.
We have the following apprenticeships available to start in Sep 2025. The full details of each apprenticeship and entry level criteria can be found here https://www.gentoogroup.com/about-us/careers/

Gas Service Engineer
Electrical
Multi Maintenance Operative
Bricklaying
Plastering
Joinery
Business Administration
Housing
Fire Safety Inspector
Building Surveying
Business Analyst
Quantity Surveying (Degree)
Project Management (Degree)

Application process:
To apply you will be asked to complete questions on the online application form, no CV is required. Please ensure you provide full answers to all the questions.

*Please note you may not be eligible for an Apprenticeship if you already have qualifications in the subject area, however, you could be eligible for others we are advertising

What we are looking for:

In addition to any entry level criteria requirements, we are looking for apprentices with the following skills and attributes:

enthusiasm and a positive attitude 
be keen to learn, an attentive listener who can understand and follow instructions 
have effective communication skills and will not be afraid to ask questions 
be a team player, willing to work hard to get the job done efficiently, and to a high standard and support their colleagues 
have good customer care skills – our customers are at the heart of our business so we are looking for people who want to make a difference 
be a good problem solver
have good attention to detail 
have good I.T. skills 

Some of our great benefits include:

31 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) with an option to purchase up to 5 additional days per year.
Early finish on a Friday.
Free Health Cash Plan, with cashback for dental, optical, physio, wellbeing therapies and more, with some free child cover.
Access to private healthcare through the Health Cash Plan.
Competitive Aviva pension scheme - Gentoo will contribute up to 10% based on your personal contribution.
Enhanced family-friendly leave
Car mileage allowance if you use your personal vehicle for business purposes.
Life assurance cover to the value of 3 times your annual salary.

Closing date:

30-May-2025

We're a housing association that provides more than 60,000 people in Sunderland with a place they can call home. We're a values-driven organisation, with a clear vision, a social purpose and a commitment to investing in people, place and property. We believe everyone has the right to live in a good quality home they can afford and invest millions of pounds every year in keeping our existing homes safe, secure, and compliant.

We're also playing our part in addressing the UK housing crisis locally, by building hundreds of new, modern and contemporary homes for rent in Sunderland - homes that meet the needs of local people. Not only do we provide vital housing - we support our tenants, residents and communities by investing in services that help people live their best possible life.

This includes helping people to work, victims of domestic abuse and anti-social behaviour, young people to live independently, as well as a wellbeing service that supports our elderly tenants and residents.