adi Group, a major regional investor in nurturing local skills, is joining thousands of businesses and colleges in helping to raise awareness of National Apprenticeship Week (9-13 March).
Here, our apprentice programme manager Graham Bond explains adi Groups approach to apprenticeships, and the part they have to play in helping to close the skills gap facing our industry.
Apprenticeships are a big part of adi Groups talent stream. While we have trained apprentices for years, the relatively recent issues of skills preservation and shortfall of new talent into the industry means they have taken on a new importance.
Recognising the pivotal role apprentices have to play, in November last year adi Group launched its Apprentice Academy. Designed to cement our commitment to investing in this vital talent stream, it provides a support system for the apprentices themselves, who are often entering the world of engineering for the first time.
Our apprentices follow a two or three year programme in any area of the business, from working with the central administration team to placements in the mechanical, electrical or facilities management divisions of our business. They spend four days a week within the workplace, and one day a week at college, completing a Level 2 and Level 3 National Vocational Qualification and Technical Certificate.
We currently have 14 apprentices within the Group, three of which are spending a lot of their time on site work as they come to the end of their programme. The quality of applications were getting through currently is really encouraging, and our contingent get great reports from college, so its very positive. Its a great pleasure to see colleagues that started out as apprentices go from being a trainee to managing projects themselves.
Were building apprentices into our business to boost our skills set while ensuring that skills within the business are passed on. Last year, our Long Service Awards recognised more than 30 individuals that have dedicated 15 years or more to the business. Its our job to make sure that wealth of experience helps to inspire and train a new generation of engineers, hence laying the foundations for our future.
Watch out for our second instalment later this week, when well hear from adi Groups Apprentice of the Year, Craig Mulligan.
For more information about apprenticeships, visit www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/