North East apprenticeships scheme needs more support
18 Dec 2007
Fast-track scheme is intended to tackle growing skills gaps in the North East’s process sector, which said TTE is facing a skills deficit of 20,000 workers by 2004.
Darlington, UK - The TTE Technical Training Group and five chemical processors- Conoco Philips, Artenius,Terra, Dow (Wilton)andSembcorp - in the Tees Valley region are calling for more support for a fast-track apprenticeship scheme. The initiative, which was launched in January 2007, is intended to tackle growing skills gaps in the North East’s process sector, which said TTE is facing a skills deficit of 20,000 workers by 2004.
The scheme will become a regular part of TTE’s portfolio of apprenticeship programmes if suitable sponsors can be secured, said a TTE press statement. So far, nine apprentices have received sponsorship from local employers to complete their training.
“It is unusual for TTE to introduce an unsponsored fast-track programme,” said Keith Leslie, apprenticeship business director at TTE. “However, the skills gap in the North East chemical and process industries is a very real problem and, with the support of employers, programmes like this can start to have an impact on the shortage.
“We have been encouraged by the response from the employers who have provided sponsorship for this first group of students. They have identified Advanced Apprenticeships as a route to investing in their future workforces and I hope that others follow their lead to allow TTE to increase the number of students taking part in future programmes.”
The nine students spent just under a year gaining important practical engineering skills together with respected NVQ Level 2 qualifications and a technical certificate at TTE’s Centre of Vocational Excellence in South Bank, Middlesbrough. During the programme, TTE invited employers to interview the students with the aim of securing sponsorship for the Apprentices.
Trainees then spend two years on-site gaining practical experience as part of their sponsoring employers’ workforces. Their progress is also assessed by TTE trainers and their work onsite goes towards achieving NVQ Level 3 and the completion of the Advanced Apprenticeship framework.
