THERE ’ S NO SUBSTITUTE FOR HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE .
Young guns - some of the new recruits at TFS .
FIRE SAFETY AND SECURITY FIRM BELIEVES IN YOUNG TALENT
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firm that installs fire safety and security systems is blazing a trail when it comes to apprenticeships and T-Levels .
TFS is a strong believer in apprenticeships . After all , more than a quarter of its current 44 employees started as one .
And after forging links with Middlesbrough College , it took on 12 T-Level students on work experience to give more young people an opportunity to gain crucial industry experience .
Six of those now have fulltime apprenticeships at the Middlesbrough-based firm .
And that , says managing director David Hynes , benefits everyone .
He told Tees Skills : “ From our point of view , it ’ s great . Usually , we ’ ll advertise and have no idea what the applicants are going to be like .
“ With the T-Level students , because they do work experience , we know what they ’ re like and they know what the company is like to work for .
“ And we need them because we ’ ve got a lot of work on at the moment , with some long-term projects coming up .”
Tees Fire Systems – now branded as TFS - began in 1996 . It specialises in installing fire alarms , CCTV , intruder alarms and access control systems .
The FESS ( Fire Emergency and Security Systems ) technician apprenticeship it offers includes the Level 3 qualification engineers now need – great for a young person ’ s job prospects .
And its apprentices don ’ t just come from the college – they sometimes come from adverts the firm puts out .
David said : “ Because of the Level 3 requirement , our apprentices are in a good place to start their careers .”
TFS recently invested in its own training centre at its base on Middlesbrough ’ s Riverside Park .
Find out more about careers at TFS @ teesfire . co . uk .
And it isn ’ t just engineers who began as apprentices there – several of the office staff did too .
David said : “ Apprenticeships are great because you ’ re learning on the job and there ’ s no substitute for hands-on experience .
“ I ’ d say to any young person considering an apprenticeship , it ’ s a great opportunity , so take it .
“ As an employer , my view is that if you put the work in , we ’ ll help you along . If you ’ ve got a good work ethic , it beats almost everything . You might be the brightest in school but if you ’ re not willing to graft , you won ’ t get far .
“ And stick it out – at the end of it , you ’ ll have a qualification that will open doors .”
THERE ’ S NO SUBSTITUTE FOR HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE .
TFS has worked on numerous big projects , including Teesside Airport , the Globe Theatre in Stockton and the University Hospital of North Tees .
More recently , it ’ s won a contract for a Ministry of Defence / NHS care centre in Catterick . It also recently worked on converter stations for the massive Dogger Bank wind farm in the North Sea .
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