Aycliffe Today Business Aycliffe Today Business Issue 31 | Page 17

The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 17
South West Durham Training
general manager Jason Howe
says learner numbers have
picked up again as the firm looks
forward to its 50th birthday.
Training provider celebrates
50 years as recruitment grows
The new boss of one of the region’s oldest training providers says it is
celebrating a recruitment growth as it approaches its 50th birthday.
S
outh West Durham Training (SWDT)
will mark its fifth decade on Aycliffe
Business Park with a special
celebration event in December.
And new general manager Jason
Howe says the milestone comes at a time
when learner numbers at the centre continue
to grow.
SWDT now offers a range of higher
education and commercial courses to
employers in the region, as well as full-time
apprenticeship programmes.
And Howe, who took over the reins
at SWDT in September, said: “It was a
really strong summer for us in terms of
recruitment.
“Our full-time apprentice numbers grew
to 85 and our commercial numbers continue
to climb as we look to deliver bespoke and
tailor-made courses that our employers need.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming
several special guests, previous learners
and employees of South West Durham
Training to what will be a very special event
in December.”
By Martin Walker
A number of part-time positions have
been filled at SWDT recently to cope with
an increase in numbers and Howe is also
looking to recruit a new full-time position
to head up its Btec and higher education
provision.
SWDT is now offering HNC courses in
mechatronics, mechanical engineering and
electrical and has been delivering a range
of commercial courses for some now,
including fork lift truck driving, electrical,
health and safety, PLC programming, lean
manufacturing, quality assurance, CAD, fluid
power, fabrication and welding and plumbing
and gas.
That’s as well as its full-time apprenticeship
provision which covers mechanical and
electrical engineering, toolmaking, fabrication
and welding, manufacturing, plumbing and
gas, polymer production and manufacturing
and engineering technical support.
SWDT is also working hard to develop
relationships with local schools, with school
liaison officer Matt Gattis in charge of getting
young people through the door to explore the
engineering training options after school.
“We’re working extremely hard to engage
with young people in the region as we know
all too well about the skills gap we need to
bridge in the coming years,” added Howe.
“We have lots of ongoing relationships
with some local schools and we’re looking
to develop new ones – and that could be by
supporting them with vocational delivery, or
just by enhancing the learning experience
for young people by letting them see our
facilities and the sort of opportunities that
exist upon leaving school.”
A subsidiary of Bishop Auckland College
which employs 27 staff, SWDT works
with many of the region’s big employers
including Hitachi Rail, Cummins in Darlington,
Richmond-based Pipeline Engineering,
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in Barnard Castle
and car parts maker Nifco in Stockton, and
currently has more than 300 learners on its
books.
Find out more about SWDT at www.
swdt.co.uk or call 01325 313194.