Apprentice Week – Our Positive Experience!

Apprenticeships are a fundamental part of our business. We had only been trading for 6 months when we started our first apprentice in 2013. Without doubt, we were not just nervous but extremely cautious; it was not just the financial risk, it was also the burden on our small team of engineers. We were going to be absorbing the cost for a staff member for up to 18 months with potentially no immediate return. Paying wages, our time invested in training the technical skills with the health and safety requirements, providing uniforms and PPE, time off to complete course work, and so much more.

Utilising some of the funding available from the local council and employability initiatives, five of our team have now completed apprenticeships and are a key part of our workforce. Investing time and finance into apprentices has allowed us to develop the next generation of engineers for our business. Engaging with them from the outset and setting clear standards has created the good work ethic and habits our industry has come to expect. They have developed from being just qualified engineers lacking experience to become highly competent employees who are excellent ambassadors for our company. The commitment and attitude they demonstrated during their early years helped us identify and nurture the traits we want in our workforce. We are keen to develop all our staff, as our senior engineers move up to management roles this paves the way for keen individuals to progress their careers. As a business we are proud to have a customer friendly, knowledgeable team and our apprentices are a fundamental part of that.

There are risks but in my opinion, a risk worth taking!