EDUCATION
THE FUTURE PROOFERS
Support – Middlesbrough College Group director of business engagement & partnerships Matt Telling with Tees Components ’ managing director Sharon Lane .
Why apprenticeships are a vital part of Tees Components
As a company which specialises in services and products for the defence and energy sectors , you might think roles at Tees Components are not for the beginner .
However , the North Skelton-based engineering and manufacturing business , which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year , puts a lot of its success down to investing in the skills of its most junior employees .
Tees Components has been running an award-winning apprenticeship scheme for more than 30 years , working with Middlesbrough College Group on a comprehensive programme designed to equip apprentices with the skills and training to develop their careers .
“ Because of the nature of what we do , we are very reliant on skills , which is why we have always invested in apprenticeships ,” explains Tees Components ’ managing director Sharon Lane .
Tees Components provides sub-contract machining services to the defence and energy sectors , working on projects ranging from submarines to nuclear power stations , and solar power stations to hydro-electric plants .
The £ 5m turnover company also makes components , mainly for export , used in applications including oceanographic research vessels in countries such as the US and Iceland
It ’ s not the kind of work you can just walk into , which is one of the reasons why it is so important that Tees Components gets its apprenticeship programme right .
Sharon explains : “ It is essential for our business to have apprentices coming through .
“ We are always growing and creating
new roles that we go out to the market and recruit for , but getting the right level of apprentices through is critical for our business growth across all areas of the company .”
Working with Northern Skills – the apprenticeship and training arm of Middlesbrough College Group – Tees Components ensures that its apprentices get an understanding of all areas of the business .
Apprentices are involved in real-life projects and work from the beginning of their apprenticeships , which last for three years and can be extended to a fourth year as an Advanced Apprenticeship .
Sharon says : “ They ’ re making real parts and doing real projects for real clients from the start , so they know they ’ re having an impact and are part of something , which is interesting and exciting for them .”
Tees Components ’ apprentices split their time between working at the company and learning at Middlesbrough College ’ s £ 20m state-of-the-art STEM training centre .
Sharon believes that choosing the right apprenticeship learning partner is crucial to the success of Tees Components ’ scheme – and any apprenticeship programme .
She explains : “ Middlesbrough College always listen to us and understands our needs and priorities as a company and that ’ s really important .
“ They have been able to provide us with commercial training as well as apprenticeship-based training so they can match what we need and offer our apprentices exactly what we ’ re looking for .
For more information and advice on how your businesses could benefit from an apprentice , visit northernskills . co . uk / employers
Apprentices – Nieve Williams and Lewis Coutbert from Middlesbrough College learning their trade with Tees Components .
“ They have listened to industry when it comes to the facilities in the STEM training centre as they are first class and they have made them as ‘ real world ’ as they can .
“ They also have an excellent classroom environment for the Further Education qualifications which are part of the apprenticeships .”
So what are the results of this programme ?
“ Nearly all of our apprentices are offered a permanent role when they finish and we have a really high retention rate ,” says Sharon , who has been the firm ’ s MD since 2018 .
“ Many of our senior staff started out as apprentices at the company – including me ! – so apprenticeships are not just for shop floor roles , they ’ re for all areas .”
Northern Skills - the apprenticeship and training arm of Middlesbrough College Group - delivers over 100 types of apprenticeships to more than 2,500 apprentices across the North-East .
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