Bring back apprenticeships
17 Jul 2007
Traditional training route should be the basis of any industrial skills policy going forward
Over the last couple of decades, UK industry has been visited by any number of initiatives intended to mitigate its widening skills gap; from NVQs, Investors in People and Modern Apprenticeships, to National Training Organisations and then National Skills Academies for specific industry sectors.
While not dismissing the efforts of all those behind such schemes, it could be that they are missing, and perhaps even masking over, an important central point for bringing and developing new talent for industry going forward.
At a recent Mono Pumps press launch, officials of the Manchester-based equipment maker revealed how the company was engaging in a practice now virtually unheard of in many parts of the process industries — taking on an increased number of apprentices this year.
Rather than being such a rarity, traditional apprenticeships, such as those at Mono, should again become the basis of any industrial skills policy going forward.
(From Process Engineering’s latest fortnightly e-newsletter)
READER RESPONSE:
Bob McClean Reliability Engineer, Kimberly-Clark Barrow Mill
I was delighted to read your piece regarding MONO pumps taking in a steady stream of apprentices each year.
We at Kimberly-Clark, Barrow Mill have been taking between 4 and 6 apprentices in mechanical & electrical disciplines for over 10 years. This investment has paid off handsomely with almost 100% success rate.
In all cases we have been able to provide permanent jobs for the apprentices who are qualified to HNC level as well as the advanced apprenticeships to NVQ level 3. The training is carried out on site within the operation, the first year “off the job” training being completed in our own Skill Centre.
It has provided the mill with talented and dedicated young people who provide us with technical skills we are unable to find in the surrounding area.
I would highly recommend any business struggling to find young people with the necessary skills in technical disciplines to invest in apprenticeship schemes.
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Robert J. Gooch (contact details supplied)
About time too. It always did work and will work again, if we’re not too late. Perhaps it’s time that the people who decided that there was a better way were taken to account!
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