VEKA plc – inspiring young people and instilling resilience

on offer. I’m firmly behind staff members going into schools to talk to pupils as a great way of inspiring them and hopefully getting them to choose the fenestration industry when they’re ready to make their career choice. That’s why I’m doing my bit. In addition, we’re looking forward to demonstrating the opportunities that the industry affords by hosting school visits.

“I would encourage other companies to get involved in Building Our Skills’ Inspiration Days and Inspiring the Future programmes. Throw open your doors to young learners and encourage your staff to visit schools. Let’s all get behind Building Our Skills’ admirable work in order toto help future-proof our industry.”

Mark Handley, building our skills’ partnerships manager added:

“We’re so grateful to VEKA for its support. The company is a prestigious leader in its field, and I’m confident that its partnership with us will inspire other fenestration industry employers to follow suit.

“I believe that the sky’s the limit in this industry for anyone with a decent work ethic and willingness to learn through the right training. We’ve heard so much over the past few years from people in the industry about the skills shortages. It’s sad and it’s frustrating, because there’s such a huge variety of roles available, and a big part of the problem is that so many would-be employees just don’t know about them. For the vast majority of youngsters they’re unaware of what’s on offer. So many people think that this industry is only about selling windows! The reality is there are over 50 career paths available, and VEKA’s involvement will help to communicate this fact to young people.”

A Supportive Workplace

VEKA’s commitment isn’t reserved for encouraging new recruits, it also provides a supportive workplace for its existing staff. The company has recently partnered with fellow bondholder Six Connections to provide wellbeing support sessions for its apprentices.

The partnership was born following an introduction at a local networking event. The Six Connections ethos of bringing difficult conversations into everyday life felt like the perfect match with VEKA.

The sessions covered how to develop life skills including resilience, mental health and wellbeing, self-awareness, empathy and managing emotions.

So, why provide support for apprentices? “We have a duty of care to all our employees. We are here to set our apprentices up for success, not just in the working world but to support them into being their best self,” explained Neil.

Last year the business took on 14 new apprentices adding to the four already in post from the previous year’s intake. The apprenticeships, which are split between manufacturing and engineering aim to develop the next generation of Burnley’s fenestration industry experts.

These are just two examples of how this local business is helping to encourage recruitment and development of young people in the industry. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for the young people and apprentices that it is inspiring.

Burnley is proud to lead the way when it comes to apprenticeships – our businesses truly believe this career path is one to be supported and celebrated. We have many standout apprentices and are spoilt for choice when it comes to shining a spotlight on those making waves in their sector. However, this individual has been an apprentice at not one, but two Burnley companies whilst completing the courses at both of Burnley’s educational giants, Burnley College, and The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) Burnley.

Elly Littler is 23 years old and currently works for AMS Neve, an audio manufacturing and engineering company which supplies sound consoles to film and music studios across the world. Some of their customers include Abbey Road, Warner Brothers, and Disney – all mammoth names in their industries.

The current course that Elly is on is a Digital Marketing Degree Apprenticeship with UCLan Burnley. However, this hasn’t always been the case.:

“I actually started at +24 Marketing as a social media apprentice, then worked my way up to account executive, gaining more and more responsibility whilst I was there,” explains Elly.

“I loved +24 Marketing and it taught me loads, but I’ve always had a keen interest in music, both live and the production side of it. When I came across AMS Neve and saw they were recruiting apprentices, it was the obvious next

Free training and support for apprentices and their mentors

Throughout our borough we have many companies that are committed to employing apprentices. Hiring an apprentice has many benefits, not only are you giving someone the opportunity to develop their skills but bringing in new talent also gives you a fresh perspective on your business.

step for my personal development and my career”, she adds.

Elly is from Darwen and commutes daily, so why has she gone for two apprenticeships in Burnley?

“I was looking at colleges and Burnley College had the best offering for what I wanted to do. It was a two-hour bus journey every day, but it’s what I wanted, so it was worth travelling to. It was a Themis event at Burnley College where I met +24 Marketing, so the opportunity came from there. Then, UCLan Burnley also had a great offering and the job offer from AMS Neve was a no-brainer; I had no reason to go anywhere else.”

In April 2023, AMS Neve attended the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) show, a huge audio professional trade show in Los Angeles, California. Elly organised the logistics, what they had on the booth, and all the marketing leading up to it. She was also fortunate enough to attend, which involved talking to high-end customers and the press over the events three days.

It’s safe to say that Elly is a great example of apprenticeships in Burnley. With her trip to LA representing a global giant in music and film production, she is certainly living the Burnley apprenticeship dream!

One way to maximise the benefits of apprenticeships for both the apprentice and employer is the Lancashire Engaging Apprentices Project (LEAP). The scheme is run by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) but delivered by many partners in the area including Burnley College and UCLan itself. Funded by the European Social Fund, LEAP provides support for small to medium businesses. This is done through additional free training opportunities, coaching and mentoring.

The project supports both apprentices and work-based mentors, however it’s not a requirement for both to sign up to the project. Individuals of either role can attend the development and training most relevant to them based on what they want to achieve. It’s also worth noting that businesses don’t have to have a current apprentice, if you are interested in taking one on, you can still enquire about what support is available.

Helping apprentices thrive

The UCLan LEAP delivery team want to ensure that Lancashire apprentices, along with their workplace mentors, gain all the skills they need to make their workplace thrive. By providing 1:1 support and guidance as well as personal and professional training opportunities the team hope to inspire and promote business growth as well as help individual career progression.

Supporting mentors

Through LEAP you can access development opportunities in areas such as understanding the apprentice mentor role, identifying skills gaps in work-related knowledge, skills and behaviours. The coaching and mentoring courses provide a great opportunity for anyone wanting to move into a more supervisory or management role in the future.

Funding will end on the 23rd December 2023. To find out more about LEAP call 01772 895970.