Much more important however, is the key role that apprenticeships will play, if we are to build the skill base needed to grow manufacturing output in the UK.
It is all too easy to forget that apprenticeships were once actually the lifeblood of industrial manufacturing companies, and many of those who cut back on the recruitment and training of apprentices in the past, are now suffering chronic skill shortages as a result.
However, Bowburn-based Altec Engineering has always placed great emphasis on the need to train apprentices. Altec managing director David Steel explained, “We have a loyal workforce who have been with Altec for many years, which naturally has increased the average age. We began to find a significant lack of skills to match our specific requirements in the outside world, so made a decision to recruit apprentices to train ourselves. This means that Altec has never suffered from the skills gap that blights many engineering companies today.
“Apprentices make a significant contribution to our business, not only from the work they do whilst they are training, but also in the stability they provide for the company as we look to the future. Bringing our own engineers up through the ranks allows us to be completely confident that we will continue to have the necessary skills and resource to maintain growth within both our current and new market segments.”
