Record number of apprentices
Engineering giant trains record levels of new
talent for 2008
Sheffield Forgemasters has taken on
a record breaking new batch of apprentices to add to its specialist
engineering workforce.
The latest crop of 32 apprentices takes the total to 70 as the
company builds for the future and continues to take a proactive
role in putting crucial engineering skills back into the industry
through its outstanding apprenticeship scheme.
Forgemasters will train 70 apprentices over the coming year –
the majority in their second, third and fourth-years, but 32 of
which are new school and college graduates studying for specialist
careers and roles in all departments across the 64-acre Brightside
Lane site.
Dr. Graham Honeyman, chief executive at Forgemasters, said: “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.
“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. This is the highest standard of intake we have seen
yet.
"A lot of employers don’t see the value of this long-term
commitment to skills training but it is absolutely essential that
companies see this. In today's global market we need to have a
highly competitive workforce. We face growing competition in our
industry from countries like China and India who can undercut us in
labour costs but it’s in the high quality, added value areas that
we can make a difference."
A record number of 267 CVs were whittled down by a rigorous
interview process to the 32 successful applicants. Apprentices now
take up 10 per cent of the workforce at Forgemasters.
The company’s apprentices have repeatedly won top industry
awards for their efforts 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.
Philip Whiteman, Chief Executive, Semta said:
“Forgemasters has a solid commitment to providing the best
possible future for these youngsters. The engineering and
manufacturing sector employs a workforce of 2 million people in the
UK and contributes 40% of UK exports (that’s £137 billion p.a).
According to research by Semta, skills vacancies in the sector are
costing the economy £823 million per year. Moreover, between now
and 2014, thanks to the retiring of skilled technicians of the baby
boomer generation, engineering companies will have a net shortfall
of more than 230,000 jobs. Increasing numbers of apprenticeships is
a key part of the solution. Forgemasters understands that to meet
this demand, not only do we have to up-skill the current workforce,
but also attract a new generation of young engineers. Semta is
highly supportive of the company’s proactive role in training these
young people.”
Neil Smith, Managing Director, MetSkill added: “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.
Ends
Notes to editors:
Sheffield Forgemasters:
Sheffield Forgemasters International Ltd (SFIL) is a world
leader in supplying total engineering packages to solve industry’s
needs.
SFIL specialises in a broad range of heavy forged and cast steel
products as well as supplying ingot and bar. SFIL can design,
establish material requirements, produce material specifications
and manufacture products to the highest quality.
SFIL produce some of the largest bespoke engineered products in
the world with capacity for castings of up to 350 tonnes and
forgings of up to 275 tonnes.
SFIL are the worlds leading supplier of castings to the offshore
sector and have designed and manufactured more than 46,000 tonnes
of components. The company has operated in this market for more
than 20 years and SFIL castings are tried and tested in structures
around the world.
Vulcan SFM is a subsidiary of SFIL established in 2006 and
specialising in design, manufacturing and project management.
Vulcan incorporates SFIL’s offshore expertise from the former OSCAL
brand.
Semta: www.semta.org.uk
Semta is the employer-led skills council for Science,
Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies in the UK. The sectors
it represents are: Aerospace, Automotive, Bioscience, Electrical,
Electronics, Maintenance, Marine, Mathematics, Mechanical, Metals
and Engineered Metal Products and Science. Its role is to the raise
skills levels and competitiveness in the 76,000 companies and 1.9
million-strong workforce that make up these sectors.
Released on behalf of Sheffield Forgemasters International Ltd,
by HR Media Ltd, The Workstation, 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield S1
2BX. For further information, contact Abby Worsnip on 0114 221 0230
or email abbyy@hrmedia.org.uk