FEATURE
Workforce – Intelect staff at their Riverside Park HQ
Apprentices : You ’ re hired !
The progressive Teesside firm that grows its own workforce
WORDS : PHILIP TALLENTIRE PICTURE : TOM BANKS
Exciting job opportunities don ’ t come along every day . So news that thriving Middlesbrough company Intelect is again offering apprenticeships this year will be music to the ears of ambitious and talented young Teessiders .
Learning on the job as an apprentice is an increasingly popular and effective way to both efficiently train new recruits and to allow those employees to gain qualifications that will stand them in good stead for the remainder of their working lives .
From Level 2 up to degrees , there ’ s no limit to the development opportunities on offer to dedicated Intelect apprentices . Based at Riverside Park , and with branches in Leicester and Grimsby , the firm provides electrical and mechanical engineering solutions to a wide range of clients nationwide , including the food and beverage sector and renewables industry .
With more than 100 staff working in Teesside , including 32 apprentices across a variety of disciplines , Intelect puts training at the heart of its business philosophy . Marketing and communications manager Lily Brothwood explains why .
She said : “ Given the niche industries that we operate in , our directors found the only way we could meet our skills criteria was to invest in our own staff and create apprenticeship programmes .
“ When the business was founded in 1998 , we discovered that due to the specialist industries we support , it was hard to find staff with the skills that were required so we adopted a ‘ grow your own workforce ’ mantra .
“ We work with the local colleges in the area to provide our award-winning programme and , so far , we ’ ve trained more than 100 apprentices . And of those apprentices , 54 per cent have chosen to stay with us . That ’ s testament to the success of the programme .”
That fundamental belief in training staff in-house stems from Intelect ’ s beginnings . The company , which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year , was founded by four directors who all started their working careers as apprentices and therefore understand the value that apprenticeships can bring .
Managing director Fran Cormican , who was one of the founding quartet , says : “ Apprenticeships have been the backbone of our workforce recruitment strategy since we launched our programme 24 years ago and it ’ s fantastic to see that more than half of the young people we ’ ve trained in that time are still working with us today .
“ Over the years , we ’ ve realised that the success we ’ ve had as a business wouldn ’ t have been possible without our ‘ train to retain ’ ethos and our apprenticeship programme , so we believe it ’ s vital that businesses continue to invest in the young people of our area to ensure that we keep talent on Teesside .”
During National Apprenticeship Week , Intelect held its annual internal awards ceremony . The event includes an “ apprentice of the year ” category named after former employee Charlie Baker , a much-valued mentor to the firm ’ s apprentices , who passed away in 2014 . Charlie ’ s wife Janet and son Beau attended the latest ceremony , which saw Ella Tebble win the coveted award .
Mr Cormican said : “ We were delighted to welcome back both Janet and Beau to present our 2021 Charlie Baker apprentice of the year award , especially as the celebration coincided with National Apprenticeship Week .”
Award-winner Ella , who is a business administration apprentice , was delighted to be recognised by Intelect .
She said : “ Being awarded the Charlie Baker apprentice of the year award has made me feel so much more confident in what I do and it has shown me that people do believe in me .
“ After leaving school , I was worried about how I would fit in to a working environment and the challenges and responsibilities I would face , but I can now say that I feel I have grown as a person thanks to my apprenticeship and the support I ’ ve received .
“ The team at Intelect have encouraged me every step of the way and have taken me out of my comfort zone - throwing me into situations which have allowed me to prove to myself that I am capable of achieving my goals . I now look forward to finishing my apprenticeship and seeing what my future holds within the company .”
Apprenticeships on offer at Intelect include electrical engineering , accountancy and mechanical fitting .
For more information , visit Intelectuk . com
The voice of business in the Tees region | 43