The voice of business in the Tees region | 41
Flying the flag for Teesside
Intelect wins engineering construction industry awards top gong
I
ntelect says it was
“flying the flag for
Teesside” when it was
crowned SME Company
of the Year at national
industry awards.
The Middlesbrough-
based engineering
company took the
top award at the
ECITB Training
and Development Awards, run by the
Engineering Construction Industry Training
Board.
More than 180 people from across
the country gathered in London for the
awards to celebrate the successes of
both individuals and companies from the
engineering construction industry, with
multiple nominees hailing from the Teesside
region.
Facing fierce competition from both
Aquaterra Energy and Beck and Pollitzer
Engineering, Intelect were delighted to hear
their name announced as winner.
Managing director Fran Cormican and
director John Thompson accepted the
award on behalf of Intelect, with Fran
delighted to see the company receiving
well-deserved recognition for its long-term
investment in young people.
“We were delighted to be named
SME Company of the Year for training and
development,” said Fran. “To be nominated
alone was a great achievement for us. For
more than 20 years, we have continuously
invested in the youth of Teesside through
our apprenticeship and training programmes
and it’s great to receive recognition for that.
“It’s vitally important that we continue to
fly the flag for Teesside and raise awareness
of the opportunities available here. This will
ensure that our region has a workforce for
the future and can continue to prosper.”
Intelect were nominated for the award
by the ECITB for their dedication to
apprenticeships and the development of
their programme over the years.
A representative from award sponsor Wood with Intelect director John Thompson and
managing director Fran Cormican with TV presenter and awards host Rob Bell.
Chris Claydon, chief executive of the
ECITB, said: “Intelect represent all that is
great about training and development in
engineering and I’d like to thank them for
their contribution to the wider success of
our industry.”
The award followed hot on the heels of
other accolades for Intelect’s successful
apprenticeship programme.
Earlier in the year they won the
Apprenticeship award at the North East
Business Awards grand final, and the firm
was also back among the honours at the
National Apprenticeship Awards, following
their victory at the regional heats as SME
Employer of the Year.
Intelect director John Thompson,
himself a former apprentice, was thrilled
to accept the regional award on behalf of
the company, saying: “Intelect is extremely
honoured to have received this award and
to be recognised for the work we do when
it comes to apprentices.
“Our apprenticeship programme is the
backbone of our recruitment strategy, and I
would highly recommend apprenticeships
to all employers.”
The success came in the week that
Intelect welcomed its first intake of
apprentices for 2019. For over 20 years,
apprenticeships have been at the heart of
Intelect’s workforce, encouraging growth
and productivity in an industry that has seen
an increasing skills shortage over the years.
The business’s continued commitment
to apprenticeships is championed by its
four founding directors, all of whom were
apprentice electricians in their early careers.
They understand the value apprenticeships
bring to the business, as well as to the
apprentice as an individual, as it gives them
the chance to learn advanced skills through
specialised on-the-job training.
Intelect has always operated a “train to
retain” ethos and in the last five years has
seen a retention rate of 91 per cent of its
apprentices. This year they welcomed their
largest intake of apprentices, employing a
total of eight new recruits across a range
of sectors within the business, including
accountancy, business administration and
numerous engineering roles.
As well as their commitment internally,
Intelect continues to be an ambassador
for apprenticeships within the wider
community, working with local schools and
organisations to promote the opportunities
the region has to offer.
Most recently, they celebrated a year
of supporting the High Tide Foundation by
renewing their corporate partnership to
continue to help the charity provide life-
changing work experience opportunities to
students across the Tees Valley.