Engineering SME wins national apprentice training award
Engineering SME wins national apprentice training award
Keywords: Small to medium sized enterprise,Apprenticeships, Training
EAL centre, Slack & Parr Ltd, has taken top honours at the national Apprenticeship Awards 2006, organised by the Learning and Skills Council. Previous finalists in the annual contest, the engineering company beat off strong competition from a record number of entrants from all sectors to take the Medium Employer of the Year title for its commitment and success in training apprentices. It is among a small minority of engineering employers that have their own training centre, which is approved by EAL, the leading engineering awarding body.
Based in Kegworth, near Derby, Slack & Parr employs around 200 people– including 24 advanced apprentices – in the manufacture of high-precision gear metering pumps and aerospace components. Records show that the company has been training apprentices since it was established in 1917. Today it takes on six to ten apprentices each year. Apprentices have a 100 per cent completion rate this year and 80 per cent over the past five years –way above the national average of around 40 per cent – which the company puts down to its thorough selection procedures and high levels of monitoring,reviewing and support for each individual. An impressive 76 per cent go on to higher education including foundation degrees and degrees with company sponsorship. Many former apprentices are in supervisory and management positions throughout the organisation.
“To win a national award out of all the employers offering apprenticeships across different sectors is a great accolade,” says Training Manager, Bryan Harrison. “Apprentice training is part of our business strategy to develop people for our future needs. We're very successful in keeping our apprentices and they form the bedrock of our management structure across the business. Not only have we managed to reduce the effect of the engineering skills shortage, but the constant source of a progressive young workforce has enabled us to keep the company at the cutting edge of education and technology.”
Advanced apprentices take EAL's Mechanical Manufacturing Engineering Level 3 NVQ, Key Skills at Level 3 and a technical certificate. Many take EAL's Engineering Technical Support NVQ at Level 3 – or selected units –in addition. Slack & Parr's scheme is approved by the Institution of Engineering and Technology, giving apprentices the opportunity to gain IEng status on completion.
EAL Managing Director, Ann Watson, commented: “We are delighted that one of our approved centres has won such a prestigious award and all the more so because this is a smaller employer that has committed resources to running its own on-site centre. Slack & Parr is an excellent example of an SME whose investment in apprentice training is good for business.”
