FEATURE
Opportunity - Reece Keen ’ s apprenticeship at Virasel has been funded by Tees Valley Expertise .
As a business we want to invest back into Teesside by helping to create opportunities for the next generation . We want Teesside to be on the map for the right reasons . supported by the Tees Valley Expertise programme , delivered by Orangebox , to achieve the ISO45001 certification early in the New Year .
Simon reflects : “ This year ’ s growth has been rapid . There are kids out there who need an opportunity . We are pleased to be working on ways to bring people under our wing and change their lives .
“ We want Virasel to be Virasel employees . We don ’ t want to take sub-contractors on because we want every member of the team to have Virasel ’ s core values at heart . We don ’ t want to have an influx in the market with workers we don ’ t trust .
“ We also wanted to supply high-quality work at a fair cost – a premium service that will not be beaten on price . The quality of our work is far superior to other people ’ s work .”
Over the past couple of years , Virasel has grown to a point where Lee and Simon had to recruit an office manager , Sue Donnelly ( Lee ’ s wife ). Ben Sexton was also recruited as a sales and service manager , having first met Lee 20 years ago as his apprentice .
Ben says : “ If you want to be the best , you want to work with the best - and this is a fantastic place to work .
“ Lee was always known for getting people jobs who he values and now with Virasel he is giving young , talented people apprenticeships and the best training they can receive .
“ As part of the business growing , we are going to increase our Emergency Rapid Response Mobile Workshop fleet . We can go all over the UK , Ireland and Europe in our vans with our test rigs – the capabilities are endless .”
Virasel ’ s workshop and office are based in the heart of Riverside Park , at Trident Business Centre , with an Emergency Rapid Response Mobile Workshop available 365 days a year . That means valves can be overhauled on-site or valves can be removed and taken back to HQ .
Office manager Sue reveals : “ We have been able to expand the workforce due to
demand . We are bridging the gap for valve technicians which exists and the Tees Valley Expertise programme has helped with that .
“ To have received the funding to work towards the ISO certification and recruit an apprentice has been huge , but the overall support we have received from Tees Valley Expertise has been fantastic too .
“ We have made lots of new connections through the programme , which has helped us tremendously .”
Virasel has impressed the head of Tees Valley Expertise at Orangebox Training , Mark Beard , with how it wants to develop .
He said : “ After receiving a referral from the Tees Valley Combined Authority we learned how Virasel needed help to grow and we could help .
“ Virasel were the first business to be approved to take an apprentice on through our programme and with help from the UKSPF . We realised they wanted an array of different experts . This is a massive reflection of what we do .”
Team game – the firm ’ s directors are focused on ensuring Virasel is a ‘ fantastic place to work ’.
Tania Cooper , Tees Valley Business Board lead on employment , education and skills , comments : “ Apprenticeships like this one are vital to retaining local talent , helping businesses fill their skills gaps and making sure young people know they can have a rewarding career right here in Tees Valley .
“ This is a great example of how businesses like Virasel , that want to keep it local , provide meaningful development opportunities and give a first-class customer experience , can do just that – with the right backing from the Tees Valley Expertise scheme .”
To express an interest in getting involved , or to receive fully funded support , sign up at teesvalley-ca . gov . uk / expertise
The voice of business in the Tees region | 53