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SKILLS , RECRUITMENT , TRAINING & QUALIFICATIONS
Are apprentices the key to tackling the skills shortage ?
Companies across fenestration and beyond are struggling with the worst skills shortage in a generation . At fast-growing Barnsley manufacturer Euramax , they think apprenticeships are part of the solution .
A serious issue
The skills shortage is something people have been warning about for decades , and many companies have been struggling with for years – but over the last 18 months , it ’ s increased to a point where it ’ s having an enormous impact on Britain ’ s ability to do business .
In our sector , it ’ s especially severe . Data from recruitment specialists Search Consultancy suggest manufacturing and construction are the worst affected areas of all , with 85 % of companies experiencing difficulties , each of those companies are 18 % understaffed on average , and it taking four months on average to find a suitable candidate .
And while it ’ s roles on the factory floor that are the most challenging to fill , in construction and fenestration it ’ s often a struggle finding the right people in any position .
“ I ’ m not going to pretend I have all the answers to the skills crisis – it ’ s an extremely complex issue , and one that will take a lot of strategic thinking and significant government intervention to tackle ,” comments Euramax Solutions Managing Director Nick Cowley .
“ But I do passionately believe that as individual businesses , we can and should be doing a lot more to try and ease it .
“ One small but important step we ’ ve taken in recent years is starting to take on apprentices . We began working with our first , Holly Camplin , back in 2019 , and the experience has been so positive that we ’ re extremely eager to take on many more in the months and years ahead .”
Holly Camplin
A friendly , supportive culture
19 year-old Holly originally started studying zoology at Barnsley College , but decided it wasn ’ t for her and went looking for other opportunities instead .
A quick search on a local government website produced a list of local companies that were looking for apprentices – one of which was Euramax .
“ I applied for apprenticeships at two big companies , and got accepted for both ,” Holly explains . “ They were both great , but in the end I went with Euramax because the people were so friendly .
“ I started as an admin apprentice at the company in November 2019 , originally working on the holiday home side of the business , but then focused on the DIY side .
“ After a few months , everything drastically changed because of COVID . Before , I ’ d been doing four days a week at Euramax , then Fridays at college , but all of a sudden I was at home all the time .
Nick Cowley , Euramax Solutions Managing Director
“ I don ’ t like working from home , so it was a bit of a struggle – several different members of my family were in the same boat and trying to work in the house , and it was hard not to step on each other ’ s toes .
“ However , Euramax were really supportive throughout this whole period . When things re-opened , I was a bit behind with my college work because I ’ d struggled to do it at home , so Euramax let me use Thursday afternoons to catch up . By the end , I was finishing work before it was due in because of that .
“ My manager had also done a lot of business management qualifications , and was always more than happy to offer advice when I had to deal with similar subjects in my college work too .
“ Once the apprenticeship was over , I was really happy to be offered a full time job in the admin team . Initially , I was responsible for processing orders , answering the phones , dealing with customer enquiries and so on .
“ Now I ’ m a bit more experienced , I ’ m also doing quotes and helping customers with made-to-measure orders . I really enjoy it , and most of all I love the friendly , helpful culture at Euramax .”
www . euramaxuk . com
CLEARVIEW-UK . COM FEBRUARY 2022
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