The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 13
“ Absolutely everyone has the ability to learn and the ability to make a difference . They ’ re good for both the apprentices and employers – it ’ s a win-win situation for me .”
– Pamela Petty
“ There are opportunities for people within companies now who have a really good attitude and an understanding of the business to upskill themselves , and employers can only benefit from that .
“ It ’ s really important we not only take on the commitment of taking on apprentices , but to also work with them and give them the time to learn .”
SWDT chief executive Lee Childs sees the changes as an opportunity for businesses to upskill their existing staff .
Childs , an engineer from Shildon who served his time with SWDT 16 years ago and who took over as chief executive in October 2015 , said : “ The apprenticeship reforms might seem quite daunting to employers , there are a lot of changes that come into force from April this year . They ’ ll have to handle a digital account and manage their levy pot , for example .
“ But rather than being afraid of it , businesses must embrace it , and we actually see the changes as an opportunity .
“ The one good thing from these reforms is that they will enable us to do more for local employers . They open up new opportunities for existing workforce development , whether that ’ s through apprenticeships or other training programmes .
“ We want to help employers through the reforms , talk through the levy and how the changes will affect businesses , both levy payers and non-levy payers .”
SWDT last year welcomed new apprentices from Hitachi Rail Europe and 3M in Aycliffe , Darlington-based Cummins , Stockton-based car parts maker Nifco and Barnard Castle-based pharmaceuticals giant GSK .
All are on engineering or manufacturing programmes with bespoke elements required by their employer , including hydraulics , pneumatics , electrical , fabrication and welding .
SWDT now has more than 300 learners on the books across all years and a number of new customers .
Clients include other Aycliffe firms such as Husqvarna , Senstronics and Ebac , while SWDT also provides apprentices for Darlington firm Mech Tool Engineering and Spennymoor ’ s Thorn Lighting .
SWDT , a subsidiary of Bishop Auckland College which employs 27 staff , celebrates its 50th year later this year .
South West Durham Training chief executive Lee Childs with award winners Dominik Kowalski , Bodak West , Adam Kicks , Ben Butler , Jack Morton , Jamie Adamson , Kieron Wainwright , Matthew Turner , Anthony Clark , Mitchell Rookes , Callum Warrell and Thomas Allen .
Apprentices recognised at SWDT ’ s 49th annual awards ceremony
South West Durham Training ( SWDT ) has recognised a number of apprentices for their outstanding achievement at its 49th annual awards ceremony .
SWDT dished out 10 awards at the firm ’ s traditional event .
They included special recognition awards to young workers from Hitachi Rail Europe in nearby Newton Aycliffe and Cummins in Darlington .
Chief executive Lee Childs said : “ It ’ s always good to recognise the hard work and achievements of our learners .
“ South West Durham ’ s annual awards ceremony is a very traditional affair which has been running since it was established 50 years ago , and we feel it ’ s important to maintain those traditions .”
The winners at SWDT ’ s annual awards event included : Dominik Kowalski ( Best
Year 10 School Learner , sponsored by Bishop Auckland College ), Bodak West ( Machining Award , sponsored by Surtec North East ), Adam Kicks ( Electrical Award , sponsored by Lorimer Electrical ), Ben Butler ( Mechanical Award , sponsored by Nifco ), Jack Morton ( Fabrication Award , sponsored by Mech Tool Engineering ), Jamie Adamson ( Award for Effort , sponsored by Stanley Black & Decker ), Kieron Wainwright ( Health & Safety Cup , sponsored by IOSH Tees Branch ), Matthew Turner ( Best BTEC Diploma In Engineering Learner , sponsored by Springfield NE ) and Anthony Clark ( Final Year Advanced Apprentice , sponsored by Cummins ), while special recognition awards were given to Hitachi Rail apprentices Mitchell Rookes and Callum Warrell and Thomas Allen from Cummins .