National Apprenticeship Week farming and fishing apprentices in the North East

Hartlepool College of Further Education has recently been approved by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers for its apprentice training.

Graham Plant, Business Development Manager at the College, says that: “The approval is important in strengthening apprenticeship training in this area – companies want our training to be approved as it is now by a professional body and it is attractive to the students, who have a range of training options open to them.”

In an area with a legacy of heavy engineering and current global engineering giants such as Tata Steel, Caterpillar, Esterline, Gestamp Tallent and NSK there is a strong precedence for apprenticeships as the route for able young engineers to enter the workforce. There are a number of further education providers and training organisations vying to attract the best students and equip them for a successful engineering career.

There are also many smaller and medium sized companies that are looking to find bright young engineers and colleges like Hartlepool are there to assist in sourcing funding for the companies. Companies are also working with further education providers to develop courses that suit their potential employees. Hartlepool College of Further Education aims to serve both these markets and place as many of its learners into employment as possible.

In an area where there are more young people wanting to do apprenticeships than there are available places, a two track approach evolves: ‘farming and fishing’ as Graham Plant calls it. The companies with formal apprentice training schemes identify candidates to come and work for them, and fund their training. They are given the specific training that the company needs, with relevant industrial back up. The students are effectively cultivated from day one: ‘farmed’ from school into the regular work force.
Students not lucky enough to be included in that process can still embark on apprenticeships.

Graham Plant is keen to point out that: “Hartlepool College aims to accommodate all applicants to a college programme, put them in at the right level and support them in their choice.  A year or two into their courses local employers will come ‘fishing’ from the pool of talent to identify those that would best suit their business. This route is cheaper for the companies, and arguably lower risk as they are able to make their choice with more mature and trained apprentices.”
 
It is clear that appropriate levels of government funding for young people is still required to make sure that they can all do an apprenticeship if they want to. Then it is in the hands of the young people to prove their technical skills and competences. “Many of the local “captains of industry” have come through the apprentice route,” comments Plant, “it is a proven route to a successful engineering career.”

Are you an apprentice or a company with apprentices and need support or resources from the Institution?  Let us help you:
Support for apprentices: http://www.imeche.org/membership/professional-development-and-cpd/professional-development/Support-for-apprentices

Apply online for professional registration as an Engineering Technician: http://www.imeche.org/membership/membership-registration/How-to-apply/member/engtech-process-and-forms

Get your company apprenticeship scheme accredited by the Institution: http://www.imeche.org/membership/employers-and-accreditation/apprenticeship-scheme-approval

Contact the Institution’s Business Development Manager supporting EngTechs: bdm@imeche.org