Forgemasters takes on 32 apprentices

Sheffield, UK - Engineering company Sheffield Forgemasters has taken on a record 32-strong batch of apprentices. Chosen from 267 applicants, the new school and college graduates are studying for careers in all departments across the 64-acre Brightside Lane site and bring the total number of apprentices there to 70 - around 10% of the workforce.

“We offer our apprentices a great opportunity to pursue rewarding careers with a forward thinking company that they may not have otherwise had the opportunity to embrace," said Dr. Graham Honeyman, chief executive of Forgemasters.  “Over the years, we have visited schools and have hosted visits from schools all over the country to explain what we do here and to raise the profile of engineering as an important career choice. Consequently, we have masses of interest and the calibre of students coming to serve apprenticeships at Forgemasters is rising every year."

Forgemaster apprentices have repeatedly won top industry awards, picking up the EEF Young Engineer of the Year award and the Metals Industry Apprentice of the Year. Forgemasters has worked with Semta, the Sector Skills Council for science, engineering and manufacturing technologies and MetSkill, which forms part of the Semta Group, to recruit and train the new apprentice intake.

Neil Smith, managing director, MetSkill, noted: “All apprentices taken on at Forgemasters have full employment from day one and are supported in every way to push themselves and be successful. The company has a very positive attitude to investing in these students and we have no shortage of people wanting to join their training scheme.” In addition to learning new skills through specific training modules, the Forgemasters apprentices will learn from individually appointed mentors at the plant, many of whom have more than 30 years of industry experience and knowledge to pass on."