How Sembcorp is powering up the workforce with skills for the future
TRAINING
Growing their own – some of Sembcorp ’ s apprentices on site at Wilton .
GROWING OUR OWN
How Sembcorp is powering up the workforce with skills for the future
For Sembcorp , the ability to deliver outstanding performance and sustainable value across the business depends on the commitment , expertise and creativity of a talented pool of people .
To sustain this , the company works in partnership with several training providers including TTE , Northern Skills , Middlesbrough College and NETA for its intake of apprentices in roles within operations , maintenance , IT , the laboratory , finance and business support teams .
Under the Sembcorp apprenticeship scheme , people spend their first year with a training provider , gaining both initial theoretical and practical skills .
Once onsite , the programme covers a wide range of health , safety , security and environmental training , further education and enhanced practical skills to enable apprentices to work in different offices and operational areas .
Apprentices are fully trained and competent in many areas , including technical training such as spill kit , working at height and also specialist technical training .
Sembcorp sponsors apprentices to complete their apprenticeship ( Level 3 and 4 qualifications ) and Higher National Certificate ( HNC ) qualifications in their chosen field .
In 2023 alone , the company sponsored 27 former apprentices to complete HNCs and sponsored a further eight employees ’ degree courses .
Sembcorp ’ s site at Wilton International on Teesside has a diverse mix of operational plant including gas turbines , a water treatment plant and a biomass power station . The company believes apprentices are vital for bringing fresh perspectives and aiding succession plans .
Growing their own Sembcorp ’ s philosophy is to grow their own and this has produced impressive results , with more than a third of the current shift operations team being former apprentices and many of the managers themselves , up to a senior level , also started with Sembcorp as apprentices .
Graham Taylor , Sembcorp HR business partner , leads the UK apprenticeship programme . He said : “ We believe if we recruit apprentices and grow our own , we will achieve a higher quality of work , leading to better retainment of staff .
“ As well as benefitting the apprentices themselves , having a flow of young people into the business also brings a different perspective for our established workforce . They benefit as much from learning from the apprentices as the apprentices do from them sharing their skills and experience .”
An award-winning programme In March , Sembcorp won Apprentice Employer of the Year for the second year in a row at the 2024 NEPIC awards .
Jo Potter , UK head of HR at Sembcorp , said : “ We are honoured to have been recognised again by NEPIC and I ’ m so proud of what Graham , our wider HR team and supporting managers have been able to accomplish with our apprenticeship
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