Apprenticeships and Training

2 SPECIAL REPORT: APPRENTICESHIPS AND TRAINING

INDUSTRY INSIDER

KITCHEN GADGIE

COURT IN ON THE ACT

BAGS OF TRAINING

How the oil and gas industry discovers its future workforce

Advice on training to be a chef – from one of the North East’s best

Barristers recognise how to spot talent and the way to develop it

Metrocentre’s top man appreciates value in the shopping mall

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CONTENTS

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04 NEWS Training activity by North East businesses

18 OVERVIEW Can the lost generation ever be found work? Peter Jackson asks the question

22 THE BOTTOM LINE

SPECIAL REPORT:

26 COURT IN ON THE ACT

WELCOME

32 FRESH APPROACH

In association with:

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High skills levels and added value can directly affect company profit

APPRENTICESHIPS AND TRAINING

For decades business people and governments have struggled to increase the productivity of the British workforce. But we stubbornly continue to lag behind not only the US and Germany but even countries associated with a much less rigorous work ethic such as France and Italy. The fault lies with our state schooling system which fails to provide young people with the education necessary for them to form a flexible and versatile labour force.

Apprenticeship schemes are a vital tool in our attempts to fill that gap, providing youngsters with the necessary practical skills but also the theoretical context within which those skills will be deployed. Clearly there is always room for improvement but, as we have discovered in producing this edition of BQ2, there is much to celebrate. We are delighted to be able to showcase the variety of professions which are now opened up by apprenticeships and to profile some of the young people who are benefiting from them. We hope this edition will inspire both employer and aspiring employee to take a closer look at apprenticeships.

CONTACTS

Barristers’ chambers take on apprentices

A degree in finance working with P&G

34 KITCHEN GADGIE North East restaurateur Terry Laybourne gives advice on training to be a chef

38 INDUSTRY INSIDER The oil and gas industry growing its own

42 BAGS OF TRAINING Metrocentre manager Tim Lamb appreciates the value of learning

Christopher March Managing Director e: chris@room501.co.uk George Cheung Director e: george@room501.co.uk Euan Underwood Director e: euan@room501.co.uk Bryan Hoare Director e: bryan@room501.co.uk Mark Anderson Director e: emark@room501.co.uk EDITORIAL Peter Jackson Editor e: p.jackson77@btinternet.com DESIGN & PRODUCTION room501 e: studio@room501.co.uk PHOTOGRAPHY KG Photography e: info@kgphotography.co.uk Chris Auld e: chris@chrisauldphotogaphy.com ADVERTISING If you wish to advertise with us please contact our sales team on 0191 537 5720, or email sales@room501.co.uk

46 JUST THE BUSINESS Two success stories from NECC Training

48 SPARK OF ENERGY Gateshead College’s green agenda influenced by young learners

THE BOTTOM LINE

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room501 Publishing Publishing House, 16 Pickersgill Court, Quay West Business Park, Sunderland SR5 2RA www.room501.co.uk room501 was formed from a partnership of directors who, combined, have many years of experience in contract publishing, print, marketing, sales and advertising and distribution. We are a passionate, dedicated company that strives to help you to meet your overall business needs and requirements. All contents copyright © 2011 room501 Ltd. All rights reserved. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, no responsibility can be accepted for inaccuracies, howsoever caused. No liability can be accepted for illustrations, photographs, artwork or advertising materials while in transmission or with the publisher or their agents. All information is correct at time of going to print, April 2011.

NORTH BQ Magazine isEAST publishedEDITION quarterly by room501 Ltd.

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Apprenticeships promoted at insurance company, skills developed for renewable energy sector, cleaner brushes up and progresses, the selfemployed need training too, and mechanics take a high-speed spin

Motoring: Left to right, Alice Scrivener, Sarah Weymes, Jenny Grieves and Abbey Watts from Insurethebox with learning and development manager Jennie Towers

>> Thinking outside the box A fast-growing car insurance provider has turned to apprenticeships for both its new and existing staff, as it plans for continued growth.

Recently established insurethebox – based in Longbenton, Newcastle – has teamed up with Newcastle College as it develops up to 20 existing members of staff and recruits an additional four apprentices across a range of disciplines.

The company has chosen apprenticeships in business administration, customer service and team leading to develop staff members.

Additionally, two of the new recruits will work towards a business administration apprenticeship and the remaining two apprentices will follow a customer service apprenticeship.

The apprenticeship training will see customer service advisers, team leaders, administration assistants and members of the management team gain nationally-recognised qualifications in their work-specific area.

Jennie Towers, learning and development manager at insurethebox, said: “We have a

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strong emphasis on development from within the company and the apprenticeship programme will ensure we give all members of staff the opportunity to enhance their skills “Apprenticeships are going to play a key part in our continued growth. We aim to give all eligible staff the opportunity to develop their skills through an apprenticeship and we hope that the majority will take up the opportunity to progress in various disciplines.”

Barbara King, director of the school of health and enterprise at Newcastle College, said: “Insurethebox is one of a number of local businesses that has chosen the apprenticeship route as both a recruitment and training solution. As a growing employer, the company needed a flexible training programme which could be delivered to fit around the specific requirements of the business.

“We are working in partnership with insurethebox to tailor a number of our frameworks to meet their exact requirements across a range of business areas and at various levels. We are delighted to see such a fast-growing company investing in the apprenticeship programme and look forward

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to working with the team to deliver programmes that meets their training objectives.”

We aim to give all eligible staff the opportunity to develop their skills through an apprenticeship >> Fusion Programme Fusion, the Sunderland-based contact centre business, has launched its 2011 learning and development programme, offering employees the opportunity to complete a variety of in-house, nationallyrecognised qualifications to help further their careers. Twenty one staff – at both

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managerial and customer advisory level from the St Catherine’s Court site – will complete either an NVQ or Institute of Leadership and Management course this year.

The launch follows on from the success of previous in-house programmes, which have seen more than 150 Fusion employees complete a vocational qualification. Five of last year’s ILM graduates have since been promoted to trainee team leader positions. As part of the courses, delegates learn about areas such as communication in management, becoming an effective leader, and leading innovation and change.

Sarah Burns, Fusion site manager, said: “In order to retain the best possible staff it is important to provide ongoing training and career development opportunities. Our

apprenticeships and training

courses are popular because employees can clearly see the career development opportunities that are open to them across the business – particularly with previous graduates of the courses visibly progressing through the ranks.

“In our annual employee survey, our learning and development opportunities scored very positively with 82% of the respondents saying that Fusion provided them with access to the learning they need to be successful.“

>> College green City of Sunderland College has been named as a leading training provider within The North East Consortium for Environmental Technologies founded by the National Skills Academy (NSA).

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The college will join a network of providers together with Hartlepool College, NAREC, Redcar and Cleveland College and Northumberland College.

Its aim is to enhance the skills and knowledge of local and national businesses dedicated to renewable energy and low-carbon generation technologies.

Working within the specially created consortium, the Renewable Energy Training Academy will work with regional firms and their employees to ensure they have the right training, qualifications and skills to meet the ever-increasing need for the adoption of environmental technologies.

As a hub member, City of Sunderland College will work to deliver high quality training that meets national occupational standards for existing environmental technologies as well as new technologies as they come forward. >>

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John Cartwright, curriculum leader for City of Sunderland College’s Renewable Energy Training Academy, said: “As a college, we are committed to meeting the needs of North East employers to help them secure the training and skills needed to ensure future prosperity.

“As the green agenda continues to filter through into mainstream industry, more and more people require qualifications that will allow them to adopt renewable and environmental technologies to meet the ever-increasing carbon reduction targets as set

by Government.”

SummitSkills, the Sector Skills Council for building services engineering, is leading the National Skills Academy for Environmental Technologies on behalf of the sector.

The National Skills Academy will play a major role in transforming the ability for businesses in the building services engineering sector to access key training and skills in the design, installation and maintenance of environmental technologies and to tap into the network of training providers.

Consortium: Left to right, Cameron Ross, John Cartwright and Graeme Heron from the Renewable Energy Training Academy team at City of Sunderland College

>> Banks Group shows there are no barriers to training A combination of hard work, dedication and academic achievement has led to a Durham administrator being named the county’s top trainee apprentice.

Angela Piper, who works for the County Durham-based Banks Group, has been chosen as trainee apprentice of the year for 2010 by South West Durham Training, SWDT. After originally working as a cleaner at Banks’ Thrislington offices, Angela, who lives in Darlington, joined the company as an administration assistant in 2007 before moving on to an apprenticeship programme during the following year.

She earned her NVQ Level Two in Administration, and has studied successfully for her NVQ Level 3 in the same subject over the last year through a combination of academic learning and workplace training, undertaken as part of her work in the operations team in Banks’ plant workshop, based at Thrislington near West Cornforth.

Jacqui Sprott, the SWDT assessor who worked closely with Angela as part of her training, said: “Angela has shown real tenacity and commitment in achieving her Level 3 qualification – she went well over and above the level of work she was required to do, and thoroughly deserves the recognition that this award gives her.

“Her academic work has given her a greater understanding of her role, and of why and how the work she’s undertaking fits into the overall objectives of her department, which is something that can only benefit both her as a person and her employers.”

Freda Styles, Banks’ plant director, said: “We go to great lengths to encourage our employees to get the personal development support they need to develop their careers, through both on-thejob training, vocational qualifications and academic learning.

“Angela sets a great example of how taking advantage of these opportunities can make a real difference to your career, and we’re very proud of her achievements.”

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Future perfect: Left to right, Robbie Glendinning, Chris Brown and Michael Ross

>> Wise placements The Future Jobs Fund has helped Coast & Country, one of the largest housing and regeneration groups in the North East, recruit three new employees.

Chris Brown, Robbie Glendinning and Michael Ross are delighted with their new jobs at Coast & Country after they completed work placements supported by Jobcentre Plus and social enterprise company, The Wise Group, through the Future Jobs Fund. >>

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the Wise Group to the real workplace Chris Brown, 20, from Normanby, is now experience opportunities within Coast & working as a tenant assistant after he gained Country I was accepted for a placement, experience on a paid work placement with which has now led to a job as a development Coast & Country. adminstration assistant.”

Robbie Glendinning, 23, was also successful in Tracy O’Neill, head of community investment securing a position as a development at Coast & Country, said: “Through the Wise administration assistant after Jobcentre Plus Group, we’ve been able to offer work introduced him to the work experience placements financed through the Future Jobs opportunities available within Coast & Country Fund which has led to work for Chris, Robbie through the Wise Group. and Michael.

Michael Ross, who is 19 and lives in Redcar, “The three of them proved to be worked for a year under the Future Jobs Fund conscientious, dedicated and enthusiastic as a resident liaison officer. A vacancy for a potential employees who richly deserved to be tenant assistant became available and he has offered full-time employment. secured this full-time role in Coast & Country. ”While the Future Jobs Fund is coming to an Robbie Glendinning, said, “I was struggling to end, Coast & Country remains committed to secure a job at the height of the recession and helping people into work.

I had to move back to my parents’ house in “This is being achieved through a wide variety Guisborough to pursue job opportunities.

New Advert Layout_New Advert 18/04/2011 12:53 Page 1 of schemes. These include employing local “After being directed by Jobcentre Plus and

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people during the construction phases of our housing developments, offering young people apprenticeships in a variety of trades and our involvement in Working Communities Teams, which take employment support to people’s doors by arranging home visits, during which individual tailored solutions are identified to help residents find work or access training opportunities.”

The three of them proved to be conscientious, dedicated and enthusiastic employees

Train and grow

your workforce

your way

Designed around your needs Apprenticeships offer a route to harness fresh new talent. They ensure that your workforce has the practical skills and qualifications your organisation needs now and in the future. The mixture of on and off job learning ensures that your Apprentice learns the skills that work best for you.

We currently offer Apprenticeships* in: • Beauty Therapy • Business and Administration • Elderly Care • Electrical Engineering • Hairdressing • Hospitality and Catering • IT Professional *Other programmes are available on request

Contact us now – call: 0191 427 3900, email: cdu@stc.ac.uk visit: www.stc.ac.uk

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>> TTA expands to help complete the training cycle North Tyneside based training provider Trade Training Associates (TTA), which offers full cost commercial training and funded apprenticeships, has welcomed more new recruits to its team.

Rachel White, 21, from Heaton, Newcastle, has joined TTA as a full time receptionist; Gillian Freeman, 32, from Whitley Bay, and Thelma Turnbull, 49, also from Heaton, have joined as customer service assessors.

TTA, which has 25 staff, intends to enhance the customer service skills of all its trainees, which adds to their range of experience for promoting self-sufficiency.

It is hoped that once apprentices qualify they will go on to become self employed and recruit trained apprentices from TTA, creating a beneficial cycle to all parties, which is central to TTA’s business model.

Gillian, who has a background in recruitment, impressed while working for her previous employer on TTA’s behalf – so much so that the company decided to take her on.

Although she has no formal experience in training, TTA will support Gillian through the assessors’ course and in further training courses such as PTLLS (Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector).

Once fully qualified, Gillian will help to find employment for TTA’s trainees.

Though experienced in training, Thelma has been out of the sector for 15 years, working for others and running her own business. Thelma had never worked before with young apprentices and is excited at the prospect of doing so at TTA. Thelma said: “I am thrilled to be resuming my career in training with an established

>> Undercarriage on top Berco UK, the North East-based manufacturer of undercarriage systems and components for tracked construction machinery, is putting half of its workforce through business and leadership training.

A total of 16 members of the Spennymoorbased team will benefit from the next phase

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provider such as TTA. I look forward to helping the young apprentices and recruiting them in the future. I hope to assist the company in its ambitious plans and continue the commitment shown to apprentices.”

Director Blake Robinson said: “Creating two new customer assessor roles is in response to market changes. Young people learn trades but often lack the necessary customer service skills which enhance their chances of employment.

“Sustainable employment may not be as viable an option as it once was. However, teaching customer service in addition to their core trade can allow for selfemployment and varied routes into the workplace. This gives TTA confidence that

its apprentices are well rounded and able to undertake sub-contract work to a good standard.

“I am delighted to welcome all the new recruits to the company – in particular Gillian and Thelma, due to their skills set and experience, which will aid our plans to offer a wider range of services to both trainees and employees.”

In addition, Michael Broadbent, 44, from North Shields, and Alex MacAlinden, 27, from Winlaton, have recently joined the company. Michael will be working as an internal verifier, ensuring the quality of training programmes meets existing high standards and Alex – who qualified two years ago with TTA – will be returning to train level two apprentices.

New recruits: Left to right, Gillian Freeman, Rachel White and Thelma Turnbull

of Berco UK’s training and development commitment, with 12 month courses starting this year.

Working with Bishop Auckland College, Berco UK will put eight of its production and warehouse teams through Institute of Leadership and Management Level 2 course and a further four through Level 3

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qualifications to help them to progress into team leadership, line management and beyond.

A further four assembly operators will embark upon the college’s business improvement techniques course.

Already this year, Berco UK has worked with MAS North East to deliver lean >>

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manufacturing workshops for members of the team. Human resources manager Paul Taylor said: “One of the key reasons for moving to the Spennymoor area was the potential to build our workforce with people from the area.

“This has been justified in the quality of people we have been able to employ, as we have built our team up to 33 during the last 18 months. We want to repay the hard work we have seen from those who have come in by making a commitment to helping them to develop their skills and grow with the business.

“These two courses will help to encourage and equip the team for personal progression within Berco UK.” Team building: Front, Julie Cook from Bishop Auckland College with Paul Taylor, human resources manager at Berco UK, and members of the team who are going NECC_BQ2 Advert:Layout 1 through 8/4/11 rigorous training

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TRUSTED. The employers’ choice for apprenticeships For the best apprenticeship training for your workforce call 0300 303 6322 or visit www.necc.co.uk/apprenticeships

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>> Lamborghini treat for motor-trade graduates Five newly-qualified apprentices have raced to the finishing line of their three-year apprenticeships in tail spinning Lamborghinis.

Motor apprentices Steven Boyes, Adam Sproat, Jason Roach, Charlie Harvey and Lewis Elliott, all from Benfield Motor Group, were treated to an exhilarating sports car race day to celebrate their successful apprenticeship graduation.

Charlie Harvey, VW Carrs, Hexham, said: “This was the best end to a great apprenticeship.

It has been a lot of hard-work, but having this to look forward to has been a real incentive.

Driving a Lamborghini is just something else and has always been something that I have wanted to do and now I have fulfilled that dream.”

Benfield Motor Group is active in recruiting apprentices and is delighted with its apprenticeship programme and success rate. The local car dealer has also invested heavily in training new recruits to become motoring experts.

Nigel McMinn, managing director of Benfield Motor Group, said: “We are a family business and have a general ethos about training and coaching our staff to become the crème de la crème of the motor industry. The apprenticeship scheme is an excellent way of involving young people with a desire to learn and develop their skills and career and we are with the candidates every step of the way.

“The five graduates have shown tremendous

>> AIS hits the heights A North Shields training company has scooped a contract with Nissan which will see its maintenance staff trained to work while hanging from the rooftops and in tight spots.

Advanced Industrial Solutions (AIS), based on the Tyne Tunnel Trading Estate in North Shields, has been commissioned to deliver bespoke training courses for up to 400 maintenance workers from Nissan’s Sunderland plant. The “working at height” and “working in a confined space” courses will equip the maintenance team with the skills needed to repair and maintain less

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Top gears: Left to right, Steven Boyes, Adam Sproat, Jason Roach, Charlie Harvey and Lewis Elliott

potential from start to finish and sailed through their on-the-job training with high standards throughout.”

Charlie Harvey said: “The training is an excellent way to start a career in the car industry. We don’t just get to understand the working environment but also we learn the technical ins and outs of the motor industry. Everyone at Benfield has been really supportive and made it an enjoyable part of my learning.”

Nigel McMinn said: “University is sometimes not an option for young hopefuls, so this method of training and recruitment is advantageous to employer and employee.

We also see the current economic climate as

even more reason to invest in ambitious candidates.”

The current apprenticeship scheme allows trainees to complete the course while keeping options open.

Charlie Harvey explained: “I am now a fully qualified service technician and will undergo continual training with lots more courses booked in already.

My future at Benfield is open. I have now set my sights on specialising as a master technician and I know that I will be supported all the way.”

Benfield Motor Group has 30 dealerships throughout the North East, Yorkshire, Cumbria and Scotland.

accessible plant or equipment. AIS, which was set up in 2006 by North Shields-born Paul Stonebanks, provides industrial training including working at height, insulation, rigging, health and safety and rope access training.

The company also manufactures bespoke insulation products primarily for the offshore oil and gas sector globally and then installs them on-site using rope access due to the great heights involved.

With much of Nissan’s sophisticated and automated machinery suspended above the ground, around 20% of the work carried out

by the maintenance team raises working at height issues.

Justin Huskisson, health and safety engineer at Nissan, chose AIS to deliver the training contract. He said: “Although we carry out the vast majority of training in-house at Nissan, this is a very specialised area, where there is really no replacement for practical experience.

“Our maintenance team is responsible for ensuring the smooth running of the plant across all areas of the business, including the body shop, press shop, trim and chassis and paint shop, and with around 2,000 cars coming off the production line every day, >>

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COMPANY PROFILE

Apprenticeships? Flexibility is the key to success says Paul Champion, managing director of the North East Apprenticeship Company

150 COMPANIES PLEDGE SUPPORT

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LTHOUGH the signs of recovery are definitely there, for many businesses across the North East the future still remains uncertain as they struggle to plan effectively for growth in an ever shifting economic landscape. However, one solution for hard-pressed employers trying to reconcile workforce recruitment and training with ever tightening budgets is to use the services of the North East Apprenticeship Company (NEAC), who provide apprentices for a whole range of businesses operating in a diversity of sectors.

NEAC, launched last year by the then Labour Minister for 14-19 Reform and Apprenticeships and backed by employers, regional business bodies like the CBI and the Federation of Small Business and the TUC, recruits and supports apprentices for employers who might be finding it difficult to plan for current workforce requirements let alone the type of skilled people that might be needed in three, six months or even a year’s time.

The apprentices are employed by NEAC, who then contracts them out to organisations from as far afield as Berwick upon Tweed in the Scottish Borders down to the North Yorkshire border; undertaking all the necessary training and administrative support such as organising payroll, national insurance and tax. Throughout the process, NEAC offers mentoring and support to both the employer and apprentice to make sure requirements are being met and that both are benefiting from the relationship.

This added value service is a welcome boon to hard-pressed owners and managers of SMEs like David Duke at Teesside-based e-commerce website designer Visualsoft, who do not always have the commitment of having an apprentice on their books with all the work and time involved but nevertheless are in desperate need of an extra pair of hands to share heavy workloads as they gear up for growth.

David, the firm’s head of online marketing, and

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Lucy Marshall of NEAC with Alex Smith (front) and David Duke of Visualsoft UK Ltd his colleagues are planning to grow their business using the support of talented and ambitious young apprentices like Stokesley teenager Alex Smith who’s been recruited by NEAC to work at Visualsoft’s busy Stockton-upon-Tees office where he’s learning the skills required for a long-term career designing and building retail websites.

Indeed Visualsoft, an award-winning web design, development and marketing company for online retailers, have found the apprentice experience so successful that they now have six to help cope with expansion following extra customer demand for its services - it’s seeing more and more customers demand for its fashion, beauty, fitness and sports’ web pages and content.

David turned to NEAC to find someone with the creativity, talent and enthusiasm needed to succeed in his business. Alex was recruited and is currently undertaking workplace training but is combining this with college studies to improve his academic digital and creativity skills.

He has no qualms that an apprentice has been good for business.

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“Bringing in young apprentices like Alex means we can be sure that they’re being trained to the highest standards, and will be able to grow with the company because they’re learning the right skills we want as an employer,” said David.

He added that NEAC ensured that the apprentice chosen was exactly the right one for the job. “I can’t fault them; its advice and assistance has been flawless. We wanted an apprentice with a unique talent, and we’ve definitely got that with Alex. He is an extremely motivated and determined young man, with a very bright future ahead of him.”

NEAC managing director Paul Champion said his company is able to offer 190 different apprenticeships and so far has signed up 150 companies and 450 potential apprentices. He added: “We are seeing a lot of interest from fast growing digital firms like Visualsoft who want to take on talented young people to cope with expansion but don’t have the time themselves to engage in the recruitment process.

“We make it a lot easier because we can not only recruit young people for placements but support employers across a range of sectors with advice and administrative services which make it quick, easy and beneficial to use apprentices.”

More at www.neapprenticeship.co.uk or email info@neapprenticeship.co.uk Tel: 0191 490 2453

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it’s critical that we minimise down-time. A fifth of all our maintenance and repair jobs involve working at height issues as much of our plant is suspended above the ground. Currently there is a small team trained to handle these jobs but we wanted to increase the number of staff able to work at height.

“As well as fulfilling legislative requirements, the courses delivered by AIS will ensure the team are multi-skilled and able to respond to any repair or maintenance need immediately without waiting for cherry-picker machinery or other staff members.

“This will ultimately save on wasted down time as trained staff will be able to simply pull on some kit and scale the heights needed to complete the work. Even straightforward tasks such as changing a lightbulb will be so much quicker.

“We decided to use AIS to deliver the training as the facilities here are second to none.

“It’s a specialised 10,000 square feet training

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centre which means our engineers get real practical experience in a safe and secure environment. Working at height can be a daunting experience at first but here engineers can get to grips with the methods involved without worrying about making any mistakes.”

AIS managing director Paul Stonebanks said: “We’re really proud to be working with such a

fantastic local employer and hope that in some small way our training can help contribute to their ongoing success.

“Although we started out predominantly providing training for the oil and gas industry, we are now finding an increasing amount of work coming from the industrial sector as cost savings drive businesses to look for alternatives to erecting costly scaffolding.”

>> Jennings Ford has a direct way of rewarding service A top technician at Jennings Ford Direct in South Shields, has been rewarded for his loyalty to the company.

David Fletcher, 38, from Fellgate in Jarrow, has been celebrating after achieving 15 years loyalty at the group’s Newcastle Road dealership in South Shields.

David, who was one of the group’s first employees to achieve the automotive technician accreditation in 2006, was presented with his loyalty vouchers by Jennings Ford Direct service manager Jeff Appleyard.

Jeff said: “David is a dedicated member and an asset to the service team at South Shields and it was a pleasure presenting him with his loyalty vouchers.”

In order to achieve the automotive technician accreditation in 2006, David signed a code of conduct and then went on to successfully pass a number of practical and theory tests, which took place over a period of six months at Ford’s Training Centre in Daventry.

Since 2006, he has successfully achieved master technician status, which is the highest achievable accreditation.

He said: “I’m delighted to receive the vouchers. It’s great to have your hard work recognised in such a rewarding way as this.”

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COMPANY PROFILE

Apprenticeships are at the heart of the government’s plan for growth; with an additional investment of £180m to deliver 50,000 Apprenticeships announced in the recent budget.

THERE’S NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME FOR EMPLOYERS TO LOOK AT APPRENTICESHIPS

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HE government’s expansion plans and unprecedented investment in Apprenticeships recognise the vital role they have to play in driving sustainable economic growth by creating a new generation of highly skilled workers.

This is further supported by new research which shows that every pound invested in Apprenticeships generates a return of up to £40 for the economy. The benefits include increased wages and improved employment prospects for individuals, as well as benefits to employers stemming from increased productivity.

The North East has a proud history of support for Apprenticeships and in fact, is the region with the greatest level of employer penetration in the country. Some of our most prestigious companies – large and small, public and private – employ apprentices and benefit from doing so; including Caterpillar, Procter & Gamble, Sembcorp Utilities, Nissan and South Tyneside Homes. There is widespread evidence of the significant benefits companies like these enjoy from their commitment to employing apprentices including, a significant return on investment, greater productivity and the right supply of practical skills and qualifications needed for the future.

If you would like to find out more about how Apprenticeships could benefit your business the National Apprenticeship Service should be your first point of call. Launched in April 2009, we are the agency responsible for delivering the government’s ambitions for Apprenticeships. We work with employers to help them introduce apprentices into their businesses, help those looking to start their careers find an Apprenticeship opportunity and contribute

APPRENTICEShIPS ANd TRAINING

THE NORTH EAST HAS A PROUD HISTORY OF SUPPORT FOR APPRENTICESHIPS AND IN FACT, IS THE REGION WITH THE GREATEST LEVEL OF EMPLOYER PENETRATION IN THE COUNTRY

John Wayman, Regional Director, National Apprenticeship Service towards the costs of the training and qualifications.

One of our main roles is to make it as easy as possible for employers to take on an apprentice by offering impartial help and advice at every step.

We have a dedicated team of Apprenticeship advisers based in the region who support employers through the whole process of recruiting an apprentice. They work closely with employers to identify which types of Apprenticeship will best suit the business’ needs, help source the most suitable organisation to deliver the training and assist with the cost effective recruitment of the

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apprentice through Apprenticeship vacancies.

Apprenticeship vacancies is the official recruitment system for Apprenticeships in England. It is a free online recruitment tool where employers can advertise their Apprenticeship vacancies to hundreds of potential candidates, making it easier and more cost effective than ever before to attract and recruit high caliber apprentices.

I have always been a strong advocate of Apprenticeships. In my 25 years experience in the training and skills sector I have seen first hand the considerable value they can bring to employers and firmly believe they are the best way of training, developing and skilling people for the future.

If you do not currently employ apprentices but would like to find out more, please get in touch with us on 08000 150 600 or visit apprenticeships.org.uk

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>> Academy visit Member of Parliament Chi Onwurah has visited Newcastle College to see how its School of Applied Science and Technology is meeting the Government’s science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) agenda through education, skills and training.

The MP for Newcastle Central and Shadow Minister for Innovation and Science, was given a tour of the school and was shown key facilities, such as the Wellhead Christmas Tree, Diving Bell and state-of-the-art Subsea control room, scientific clean room and mini process plant. She then went on to the £3.3m Aviation Academy based at Newcastle International Airport.

Ms Onwurah was also briefed on the college’s plans to develop a new Renewable Energies Academy. The project, which is in partnership with Shepherd Offshore, is currently being constructed to respond to the growing need for high level skills in the renewable energies sector. The academy will deliver qualifications from level 2 through to a degree in renewable energy technologies, manufacturing and maintenance and it will also include apprenticeships at all levels.

Based on the North Bank of the Tyne, a major area of growth for businesses in the renewable energies sector, the centre will be a hub for offshore wind and wind technologies as well as delivering training in other forms of renewable energies technology.

This area has already attracted world-class manufacturing organisations in the offshore energy sectors and the addition of a dedicated facility to meet the training needs of the renewable market will enhance the chances of further major job creation in the area.

The Renewable Energies Academy sits within the college’s School of Applied Science and Technology, developed to support the STEM agenda.

The college is already working with local schools to engage young people in the importance of renewable energies and the many career opportunities available within this sector.

Ms Onwurah said: “According to Engineering UK, the number of under-19s studying engineering-related subjects declined by a staggering 43% over the last five years. That is

SPECIAL REPORT | SPRING 11

Plane speaking: Chi Onwurah MP talks to David Murray who is studying a BTEC National Certificate in Aerospace Engineering with the Newcastle College’s School of Applied Science and Technology

economic madness. As a region, as a country, getting the right skills base is essential to our future well-being. We need to prime the skills pump of the new industries – renewable, advanced manufacturing, green chemicals.

“I’m glad to see that Newcastle College is offering a wide range of STEM-related subjects. I want to see every young person given the opportunity to learn at the level which is appropriate to them.”

>> Company direction is the recommended way The latest in a series of professional qualifications gained by staff at BHSF, the employee benefits specialist, is being celebrated by sales and marketing director Brian Hall.

He has completed his Diploma in Company Direction with the Institute of Directors (IOD).

David Nuttall, BHSF operations director, said: “We take pride in our values and that includes developing our people. We have seen qualifications from NVQs CIM, CIPD, MBA and many other forms of personal development in recent times.”

Brian Hall’s qualification as DipIoD comes as he celebrates 10 years with the not-for-profit organisation.

He said: “It has been a long time since I have studied formally. I found both the certificate and the subsequent diploma exam a real challenge. Setting aside the time in a crowded schedule is possibly the biggest challenge, but the IOD has been really helpful.

“I’d recommend any director to take the time out to attend the training sessions and to go on to take the exams. Apparently, fewer than 1,000 directors in the UK hold chartered status and that’s my next challenge.”

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APPRENTICEShIPS ANd TRAINING

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SPRING 11

Apprentices at Hartlepool College are building a new future in more ways than one.

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W

ORK is currently progressing apace on a new 19,000 square metre College building for the town – which is set to be completed by June. And helping turn the plans into reality are 14 apprentices. Construction and Development Company Miller is heading up the project, which will also see the current college building demolished once the new site is completed.

Jeff Headley, senior project manager, said apprentices were an essential part of the workforce – and for ensuring future skills for the sector. “Our industry needs a constant supply of trained personnel for the future. In the 1990s a skills gap did develop because as a sector not enough new people were being trained – although things have got better over the last few years.”

He added: “Apprentices are an integral part of the workforce, they are learning the skills of the job and working alongside a fully – trained member of staff. But they also learn the importance of being part of a team and working with other people.

“And the learning process can also work in the other direction, with apprentices bringing new ideas to the team”.

Nicholas Aggio, 19, is one of the 14 Hartlepool College apprentices working on the new site.

Studying one day a week at college, he’s one of four joinery apprentices with Trimdon station – based Halycon Group who are working on the College. “I’m learning and earning at the same time, which is great,” said Nicholas, who is from Hartlepool and studied at High Tunstall School.

SPECIAL REPORT | SPRING 11

“I’m in the third year of my four-year apprenticeship – which is a route a number of my friends have also taken”.

Hartlepool College, which has 9,000 full and part-time students, has almost 500 apprentices from 180 different professions.

The new Hartlepool College is the latest high-profile project Jeff has overseen on Teesside – having been senior project manager for the building of Middlesbrough’s Mima gallery which opened in 2007.

A former student of Hartlepool College himself, Jeff completed an ONC in construction there; he then went on to study at the former Teesside Polytechnic.

“Hartlepool College is the largest project in the North we’re working on at the moment. I’m very proud to be involved in the project which is for all the people of Hartlepool.”

Hartlepool College of Further Education, Stockton Street, Hartlepool TS24 7NT Contact Us : 01429 295000 enquiries@hartlepoolfe.ac.uk

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One company that have really embraced the apprenticeship services offered by Hartlepool College are specialist sheet metal and engineering firm Tegrel Ltd. The company, which manufactures bespoke sheet metal products for clients that include the Highways Agency, airport and railway operators currently, have 54 employees undergoing apprenticeships with the College.

“We started the scheme in February of this year” says Tegrel’s Operations Director Simon Watts, himself the product of an apprenticeship programme with the College. “and now the whole shop floor are involved.

The youngest person on the scheme is 22 and the oldest is 54. Because we have a broad range of training and development needs across the company we worked closely with the College to develop tailored programmes based on the needs of the business and the individual. Some modules are common to all staff, others are tailored to the individual’s role.”

Each apprentice is receiving training for half a day a week in groups or individually. All training is delivered on site and leads to recognised qualifications. “For some this might be the first formal training leading to a qualification that they have ever received, despite years of work experience, and while some were sceptical at first everyone hasnow taken to it with enthusiasm. What was important to me was that the training was of genuine value in a real working environment and that it was flexible enough to not get in the way of our business activities. Hartlepool College have delivered on all levels. It’s too early to assess thye long term benefits to our business but it is already having a positive effect on moral and is now central to our development and retention of valued employees.”

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How Yorkshire is lapping up ice-cream success

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model and why other banks should follow suit Entrepreneur Anthony Thomson explains the business Metro Bank doesn’t have branches, it has stores.

story teller the law firm to look forward Watson Burton’s bicentenary encourages

200 years young questions on new legislation Sir Michael Darrington answers the

acting on bribery the switch on an illuminating career How designer Kristina Simpson flicked

BUSINESS NEWS: COMMERCE: FASHION: INTERVIEWS: MOTORS: EVENTS

BUSINESS NEWS: COMMERCE: FASHION: INTERVIEWS: MOTORS: EVENTS

simulation games – for real Peter Harrington develops computer

don’t call it boutique, says Peter Taylor, the man behind it Blythswood Square is Scotland’s most fashionable hotel – just

Minding peas and queues in the food industry

all cut and dried

Richard Jeffrey, the man tied to Edinburgh’s tracks

Andrew Malcher sells to people who like buying

high street tv

The designer with an eye for old movies

moo-ving ahead

ace venturer

square root tram now standing hunt for style

light touch

How Yorkshire is lapping up ice-cream success

Amanda Hamilton’s healthy off-screen life

high-flier found success the other way round North to south is the normal career path, but one

Growing and maintaining the export momentum

live debate

Where do Scottish tourists go from here?

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ISSUE THIRTEEN: SPRING 2011

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queen of detox the live debate

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OVERVIEW

SPECIAL REPORT | SPRING 11

SPRING 11

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APPRENTICEShIPS ANd TRAINING

SPRING 11

OVERVIEW

MISSING LINKS

A significant proportion of the young unemployed is being labelled ‘the lost generation’, as Peter Jackson discovers

Statistics may have a tendency to make the eyes glaze over but they often bear closer examination which can yield interesting results.

Ross Smith, the North East Chamber of Commerce’s head of policy has, for example, recently done some work on youth employment figures for the region.

What this reveals might, at first sight, appear unremarkable, but his analysis reveals some important – and disturbing – results.

The unsurprising headline is that employment rates among young people in the region who left school during the recession have slumped.

In the three years from January 2007, the employment rate in 18 to 24-year-olds fell from 64% to 53%, with the steepest decline

– of 8% – in the period from January 2009.

The significance of this will be made clear – after a few more stats.

What Smith also found was that the employment rate for the younger part of this age group, the 16 to 17-year-old school leavers, also fell – by 7% – between January 2007 and January 2009.

However, since the recovery started 12 months ago, employment rates among these school leaving 16 and 17-year-olds have bounced back.

But – and here’s the really telling point – as we have seen, this is precisely the period in which employment prospects for those only a year or two older than them have taken an even more marked downward turn. >>

By taking on an apprentice you are making a long-term commitment in the area where you are working

APPRENTICEShIPS ANd TRAINING

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SPECIAL REPORT | SPRING 11

OVERVIEW

SPRING 11

So, while those who left school as the recovery got under way found it easier to find jobs, those who had been a year or two above them at school and who had been unemployed for one or two years found it harder.

Clearly, a CV which shows years without work experience is a major handicap and it is one which is likely to get worse for the individuals concerned, for those whom the NECC have dubbed “the lost generation”.

Here, we part company from dry statistics and soulless figures and come hard up against real, serious human problems, against hardship for each young person involved, against severe social problem for the rest of us and against an immense waste of human talent.

Ross Smith says: “There is a risk of a substantial number of young people becoming disengaged from the labour market and struggling to demonstrate their employability as a result.’’

Nor is the problem likely to get any easier without intervention. However laudable and necessary in itself, the scrapping of the mandatory retirement age is only likely to further restrict job opportunities for those at the younger end of the labour market.

SPECIAL REPORT | SPRING 11

There is a risk of a substantial number of young people becoming disengaged from the labour market

In the wake of Smith’s work on the youth unemployment figures, the NECC has come up with five steps which it would like to see both government and businesses take to help ensure that youngsters who entered the job market during the downturn do not end up as long-term unemployed.

First: It wants the Government to maintain the financial support for apprenticeships, to take some of the risk out of what is, after all, a long term investment for a business. The Government has said that it wants to see

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employers making a greater contribution to apprenticeships in future.

“We don’t have a problem with that in principle, but at the moment it just wouldn’t work,’’ says Smith. “There’s too much uncertainty in the marketplace at the moment for employers to be willing to make that kind of investment if there’s any extra cost attached to it.

“If anything, at the moment, they need to be providing a greater level of incentive for employers to take on apprentices, rather than reducing it in any way. In the longer term it might be a reasonable approach to take if increasing the quality of the programme at the same time, but, in the short term, it’s probably not achievable, with the market as it is.’’

The NECC’s second recommendation is that apprentice standards should be set in such a way as to maximise productivity to the employing business, reducing unnecessary time spent in the classroom, particularly where this repeats previous learning. Apprentices have to do 280 guided learning hours in a year and there is a concern that that does not take sufficient account of the learning an apprentice may already have done.

Smith explains: “If you’ve got someone who is

APPRENTICEShIPS ANd TRAINING

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starting from scratch with no previous experience then that 280 hours might be realistic, but if you’ve got someone who has maybe already done a reasonable amount to begin with or who already has experience in the industry then that 280 hours might prove to be unnecessary and involve them repeating stuff that they already know.

“That 280 hours is 280 hours not doing the job they are being paid to do and that they are being trained for, so it is being used up unnecessarily then it’s an extra factor which makes an apprenticeship less valuable to the employer.’’

Third: the NECC calls for flexibility to ensure an apprenticeship can easily be transferred in the event that the original employer cannot sustain the programme.

“There’s just bureaucracy involved in that,’’ says Smith. “We have had situations in the recent downturn where people who started on apprenticeships found that either their employer could not afford to keep them on or, in some cases, their employer actually went under.’’

Clearly an apprentice who is half way through a training programme needs to resume that as speedily and as smoothly as possible, but,

APPRENTICEShIPS ANd TRAINING

according to the NECC, red tape makes that more complicated than it needs to be.

The NECC also calls for “a transparent marketplace to enable employers to quickly commit to training providers and courses which demonstrably meet their needs.”

The problem here is that there is no clear starting point for the employer looking at going down the apprenticeship route for the first time, other than through some publiclyfunded brokerage which will help identify training needs and meet them. According to Smtih, it’s a good way of guiding people through a complicated system but it would be better to simplify the system so that they could do it themselves, with a straightforward visibility of what courses are on offer and where.

“It doesn’t need to be more hugely complicated than a website, but it needs to be managed in the right way to make sure the right information is on there for businesses to see what’s on offer,’’ he says.

The NECC’s final point is that companies which commit to apprenticeships should have that recognised by having it taken into account when public sector contracts are awarded.

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OVERVIEW

Smith explains: “We are not calling for a hard and fast rule saying if that if you have apprenticeships you should be awarded contracts but that should be one of the criteria that’s taken into account. By taking on an apprentice you are making a long-term commitment and you are making a long-term commitment in the area where you are working and that’s often a commitment that meets the aims and objectives of the body that is awarding the contracts, so they should be a bit cleverer in taking that into account in making decisions.’’

In fact, as he points out, some public sector contracts positively discriminate against businesses which do employ apprentices by asking whether all the personnel working on the contract will be fully trained and with the relevant qualifications.

It is to be hoped that the Government will take this and the NECC’s other points seriously.

There are encouraging noises coming from the Government about apprenticeships which indicate it does recognise their importance. It is also to be hoped that, given the dangers of long-term youth unemployment uncovered by the NECC’s research, that it also recognises the urgency of addressing these issues. n

SPECIAL REPORT | SPRING 11

INTERVIEW

SPRING 11

HIGH SKILL, BOTTOM LINE Middlesbrough College has big plans for apprenticeships, as Peter Jackson learns talking to principal Mike Hopkins Mike Hopkins has been principal at Middlesbrough College for barely nine months, but he’s still clearly in the honeymoon period.

“I’ve really enjoyed my career but I’ve had the happiest nine months of my working life so far here,” he says. “I think it’s absolutely fantastic.”

He is in his 30th year in further educationrelated work. He started out as a teacher, becoming principal of Swindon College in 2000. In 2004 he became a senior civil servant in Wales where he led on further and higher education with £1.2bn budget responsible for planning policy across Wales.

But the lure of the educational coal face proved too strong.

He says: “I gained a great deal of experience working in government but I’ve returned to the sector because I want to be a better poacher than I was before. I knew how difficult it was going to get for the FE sector.

I’d never lost my love of colleges and being in colleges and I just wanted to deploy what skills I have back into the sector working directly in a college. I really like being a chief executive, I like the responsibility.’’

But, as he goes on to say, there was more to it than that, he had other things he wanted to achieve and Middlesbrough College with its 12,500 students and £30m turnover had so much potential.

“I came back to the FE sector obviously to be a principal but also to try to do something a bit

SPECIAL REPORT | SPRING 11

more than that,” he says. “The reason I was very thrilled to get the job at Middlesbrough was that I want the college not just to be a purveyor of courses but to be absolutely central to economic development, regeneration and indeed through that, social mobility. Apprenticeships are very much part of that strategy.’’

Already that emphasis on apprenticeships is making itself felt; at the start of the year, the college had 120 apprentices and by the end of the year it will have 340.

But that, it seems, is only the beginning.

Hopkins says: “My glass is always half-full, so, some of my colleagues might blanch at this but I like stretched targets for myself, so I’d like to think we would have a thousand apprenticeships running within two or three years. In the end, if we don’t get there, so be it, and if we have 800 it’s 700 more than we had last year.

“One of the agendas I have brought into the college is that we have really got to strengthen and deepen our employer engagement and apprenticeships are very much a part of that.

“I think apprenticeships offer an ideal mix of a great service to employers, but in offering training and the development of high skills you are helping people secure opportunities for their lives, which hopefully allows them to live happy and prosperous lives, I mean economically prosperous and emotionally prosperous actually because one can lead to the other.’’ >>

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I’d like to think we could have a thousand apprenticeships running within two or three years. If we have 800 it’s still 700 more than we had last year

APPRENTICEShIPS ANd TRAINING

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APPRENTICEShIPS ANd TRAINING

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INTERVIEW

SPECIAL REPORT | SPRING 11

INTERVIEW

SPRING 11

Employer engagement includes engagement groups where employers are represented.

They meet on a quarterly basis and the college takes soundings on programmes which are currently offered and runs new ideas by the employers before it is worked up into a final programme.

Hopkins says: “Increasingly we want employers not at the end of that process but in front of that process saying what their needs are so that we can customise those needs as much as possible.

“What we are increasingly trying to do is deepen our links with industry and business so that we have a whole suit and portfolio of apprenticeships that we can advertise to that student and that they can apply for.’’

Middlesbrough College works with the local authority, with Nepic, and with the local enterprise partnership and in its recent Ofsted inspection it was awarded a grade 1 – outstanding – for its partnership work.

Part of the process of employer engagement has, for example, brought home to the college the ticking of a demographic time bomb in the process industries where an ageing working population means there will be a shortfall in the next decade of 8,000 skilled jobs in that process industry.

“Clearly there’s a need there and if we can help fill that need then so be it. In health and

SPECIAL REPORT | SPRING 11

social care, every year life expectancy is increasing by three months, so the whole health and care industry, as we age, is an area where we need skilled people in quality employment in order to give older people a great last part of their life. Hair and beauty is ongoing as the economy continues to provide service industry, so there are opportunities right across the skills spectrum and we are currently looking at the digital economy.

“In construction there’s a whole impact of renewables on building, so it’s not just the

24

engineering of renewables in terms of power etcetera, but that whole sustainable economy and manufacturing and building things using sustainable materials and the demands that makes upon developing new construction skills.’’

How, I ask him, would he sell the benefits of apprenticeships to an employer in the two-minute elevator pitch?

“I would tell them of the possibility of high skill leading very directly to added value to the bottom line. And because apprenticeships are sought after, the possibility and probability of getting motivated young people who really want to contribute to that company’s fortune and wealth going forward. I also think apprenticeships are an opportunity for companies to make clear their investment in their communities.’’

And to the would-be apprentice?

“That’s easy. You can gain high quality skills, maximise your chance of gaining high quality, well-paid work and have the opportunity to live a happy prosperous working life.

“If you look at the economy at the moment, the parts of the economy that are really suffering and the young people who are really suffering are those with low qualifications and low skills.’’

Talking of the economy, how will current difficulties affect the apprenticeship programme?

“One of the areas of investment that the

apprenticeships and training

SPRING 11

Government is making is to grow apprenticeships, but, of course, while government funds apprenticeships, it’s important to remember that it’s employers who provide apprenticeships. Government don’t provide apprenticeships, they provide the funding for apprenticeships, and it’s for colleges and employers working together to make the most of that, but the happy news is that there is more money in the system for apprenticeships.

“The college board has made a very clear decision that we are not going to be intimidated by this economic position outside.

“We have got reserves, we don’t simply want to batten down the hatches. But we are going to be bold and we are going to sail into this storm. We want to come out the other side offering even better services to more students and more employers than we went in with.

“We are going to invest in new buildings, that’s our plan, and we want to grow the college and we want the college to have a reputation for very high quality services.’’

Hopkins places great importance on the college’s reputation.

“We want our reputation to be our biggest advertisement and marketing,” he says.

“That’s for two reasons – one, we are a business and our business is education and that means dealing with human beings and I think there’s a moral imperative to give those people the best possible deal you can give.

“But I think that moral imperative very happily meets the business imperative, because if you do that, people go back to their companies and say it’s really good to go to Middlesbrough College and hopefully say the same to their friends, family and so on, and the reputation builds.’’

He also believes that reputation will be built on a tempting offer, particularly for the employer.

“Apprenticeships are very sought-after and there’s demand for those. One of the schemes

INTERVIEW

we are also putting in place at the moment is that we have 700 young people on engineering-related programmes doing craft and technician-level study. Now, if at 18 we can say to employers, look we have people who have got the technical skills and competence and can move in at a technical level to your company, but now need to build that work-readiness, I think that’s an attractive offer to make to an employer.

“If that training is dead weight in terms of employer cost, we are taking that dead weight and we are saying at the end of that process: ‘Right employer, we have a highly skilled person here already who now requires the opportunity of employing those skills in the work environment’. We think that’s a credible offer.’’ n

You can gain high quality skills and maximise your chance of gaining high quality, well-paid work

Case study Heather Power, 26, from Redcar was Middlesbrough College’s apprentice of the year in 2010 and is forging a career for herself as a welder.

She left school 10 years ago with GCSEs but with no enthusiasm for doing A-levels, got a full-time job with a burger chain then worked for a youth charity for four years.

“Then I wanted to do something different, but still practical,’’ she says.

“I got a college prospectus and had a look and I just fancied welding, I liked the practical aspect and the fact it is not an office job.’’

She qualified in July last year and is now a time-served welder, but is continuing her education and is doing an HNC in fabrication and welding.

Her employer is QA Weldtech, welding and manufacturing specialists based in Middlesrough, which has about 60 employees and serves the oil and gas industry.

“We have had a steady succession of apprentices from Middlesbrough College and other training establishments,’’ says operations director Richard Knowles. “In fact, about a tenth of the current workforce is former apprentices.

“A big advantage for us as an organisation is that we have invested in the people and you tend to get that investment back. They understand the business, they know the business, they have grown with the business and you get that back in their loyalty. The people who work for us are our single most important asset and if you invest in them and empower them you benefit from that.’’

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SPECIAL REPORT | SPRING 11

INTERVIEW

SPRING 11

COURT IN ON THE ACT Apprenticeships can cover a vast range of professions.

Peter Jackson talks to the only barristers’ chambers in England to employ apprentices >>

SPECIAL REPORT | SPRING 11

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INTERVIEW

SPECIAL REPORT | SPRING 11

INTERVIEW

SPRING 11

When Stephen Purvis left school three years ago, he had six A to C GCSEs and with no clear idea of what he wanted to do with his life.

He tried doing A-levels but could work up no enthusiasm for the course.

He says: “I did stay on for about two weeks but it wasn’t for me, to be honest. I can’t sit behind a desk and learn things, I’d rather be doing it.’’

So he gave up school and went to work for a discount factory store near his home in Shiremoor, Northumberland.

Meanwhile, a world away, Simon Coatsworth, director of Broad Chare Chambers, one of the largest set of barristers’ chambers in the North, was looking for new staff.

“As with any organisation, we struggle trying to find good talent to replace people or to

SPECIAL REPORT | SPRING 11

make sure we find the people we need in order to make sure we can do everything that’s required,’’ he says.

In particular, the chambers, which has some 50 barristers, was looking for people who could become barristers’ clerks, a longestablished and highly respected profession.

Clerks are responsible for running the administration and business activities of a set of chambers and a senior clerk, at least in London, can earn up to £100,000 a year.

“I looked at the apprenticeship scheme and I thought there must be a way we could identify suitable talent and train it up from the start, as opposed to having to try to find people on the job market at the time,’’ says Coatsworth.

So he approached Newcastle College to find someone who would do an apprenticeship in business administration. Initially, finding

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suitable candidates was not straightforward.

He says: “I was really surprised, given the state of the job market at the time and the amount of school leavers coming out who couldn’t get traineeships or who were still on the dole, I was amazed that we didn’t have 300 people pushing themselves forward for what was potentially a very good job in a very good organisation, but I had a square root of zero applicants.’’

Eventually, he was given 20 names, but none of them returned his telephone call – “not a single one’’.

But Stephen Purvis, feeling there had to be more to life than a factory store, made enquiries at the college and was told of the opening at Broad Chare.

Simon Coatsworth recalls: “Then, out of the blue, Stephen Purvis walked through the door.

I came down the reception, he said: ‘I understand you are looking for an apprentice, so we sat down with him, had a chat and we hit it off straight away.’’

Being a barristers’ clerk is a challenging profession, as Stephen was to discover.

“Being a clerk is like being a combination of someone who is a logistician, managing lots of resources in different places at different times doing lots of different things,’’ says Coatsworth. “So, for example, he might have 20 barristers, so he’s got 20 diaries to manage, and those barristers may well find themselves in more than one court on the same day doing three or four cases.

“Clerks also have to get involved in fees negotiation and there’s a lot of paperwork involved, so it’s a very responsible job and, without the clerks, the barristers wouldn’t have any work in their diaries.’’

For a 17-year-old, it can also be an intimidating atmosphere and culture in which to start work.

“Barristers are quite demanding,’’ admits Coatsworth. “There is a huge expectation that when they do something that it’s going to happen there and then. Probably more intimidating is the fact that Stephen can be in and out of the Crown Court 20 times in a day and he is having to walk into a court which is sitting, with a judge and a jury, a person in the dock, all the witnesses and the press and he has to walk into the middle of that – often >>

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with bundles of documents – and deliver them to a barrister. But I know for a fact that Stephen has impressed the judges and we have had good words coming back from the judiciary about his maturity and the fact he doesn’t show any signs of nervousness.’’

Stephen admits to having felt nervous, though, and that when he first started he didn’t know where to put himself.

“But, after you’ve been into court a few times, you get used to it and it’s not as nervewracking, it becomes natural,’’ he says.

Now Stephen has been with Broad Chare for two years. He has completed his Foundation Course and is due to finish his advanced courses this summer when he will move up from apprentice clerk to junior assistant clerk.

“I really enjoy it, there’s never a dull moment,’’ says Stephen. “I went into college one day a week in a class of 10 to 15 of us doing business administration. I had a morning and afternoon class, one for key skills and the other for a technical certificate. It’s not too bad, I’m not exactly a keen college person, but it’s bearable.’’

His apprenticeship has been a success, both

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for him and for Broad Chare Chambers, so much so, that he has been put forward for the Apprentice of the Year Award and the chambers have taken on another apprentice clerk, Stacey Dagg, 18.

“Both of them have been excellent,’’ says Coatsworth. “Neither of them was deficient in the basic skills, both had good GCSE qualifications, they are both extremely bright and more than capable.

“Stephen has really flourished and matured throughout the two years – he knows far more, he works independently.’’

Certainly his experience of apprenticeships makes him happy to recommend them to any other employer.

He says: “I would suggest very strongly that if any organisation like this wants to try to develop talent, this is an excellent way of doing it. I would whole-heartedly recommend anybody thinking about developing their own workforce, unless they are looking for somebody who is already qualified or with specific skills, if you want to develop your workforce from scratch there is no better way of doing this.

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“We have discovered two very good people and I can’t believe that’s just pure luck, I’m sure there are lots of other young talented people out there who would love the opportunity to come and work in an organisation like this and this is a great way of doing it.

“It’s not about having cheap labour, it’s about having people you are going to develop. We can’t do all the development ourselves, we need the support of the education provider to be able to do the other bit. Every single time they come back from a day at college, they have hopefully learnt something-else which is of use to them in their workplace.’’

For Stephen, his favourite part of the job is learning new things and acquiring new skills. So much so that, when he completes his apprenticeship, he is planning to study for an Institute of Legal Executives (ILEX) qualification.

He certainly has no regrets about becoming an apprentice barristers’ clerk.

“You can’t really go wrong, it’s a safe job and it’s a good job to have,” he says. “It’s probably the best decision I’ve ever made.’’ n

apprenticeships and training

Excellence in Further and Higher Education

Hartlepool College of Further Education

Apprenticeships

We’re the biggest provider in the Tees Valley The New Hartlepool College.

Opening September, enrolling now.

For more information call Business Services on 01429 292888 www.hartlepoolfe.ac.uk | or search online for HCFE

CASE STUDY

SPRING 11

Ready and counting: Three finance apprentices, Rebecca Kelly, 21, left, Jessica Smailes, 20, centre, and Helen Dobson, 21, have almost doubled application figures to the Procter & Gamble undergraduate apprentice programme by taking the lead on the recruitment process

fresh approach Doing an apprenticeship does not necessarily mean giving up on getting a degree, at least not with Procter & Gamble, as Peter Jackson discovers

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Procter & Gamble is a big company in any terms.

It has 127,000 employees working in more than 80 different countries and such is the universality of its many household name brands it claims they touch the lives of people around the world four billion times a day.

Its centre on the Cobalt Business Park houses the company’s Global Financial Services Sector which is responsible for the whole of Western Europe.

It is little wonder then, that in recruiting, Procter & Gamble should seek to cast its net as wide as possible and that includes taking on accountancy apprentices straight from school.

Apprentice programme manager Sonja Howell

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explains: “We aim to tap into a different talent supply, so, as well as recruiting graduates; it’s another opportunity for us as a company to attract the best people for accounting in the region.

“We find that our apprentices are very loyal and because they want to have a job when they leave school they are very committed and they come into the company with a different approach, new ideas and always look at processes from a slightly different angle and they have an attitude of really wanting to make a difference.

“They look at the way things are done and improve them and make efficiency savings.

They really enhance our organisation.’’

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Apprentices join the Financial Services department at the age of 18 and receive in-house training on P&G’s own procedures but also begin studying for the Association of Accounting Technicians qualification. The company has also introduced the option for them to go on to study for a BA Honours degree in Accounting and Finance which is done in partnership with Northumbria University. Of the last three intakes, all the apprentices have chosen to go on and do the degree.

In their first year, they study for one evening a week and, when they begin to study for a degree, they do part-day release from 1pm to 9pm every six weeks at university in the second and third year and once a month in the fourth and fifth year.

They graduate from the apprenticeship programme after three years and become level one members of staff.

P&G currently has 26 apprentices on the programme and 12 have finished. The first degree graduates will come through next year.

Howell says: “The degree was introduced partly in response to demand. Obviously, one thing that we could not do was to offer people the university side of the experience.

We looked at it and decided the degree enhanced everything they already had.

“It builds on the Accounting Technician qualification so it’s almost like a top-up degree would be. It allows our students access to the students’ union, they get access to the library, they get to have the university experience on the learning side of it, but still be in full employment as well. It was a really good enhancement to what we already had and it does help them in enhancing even the softer skills they acquire in the first couple of years – understanding how they work effectively themselves, understanding how to work best as part of a team.

“It’s important because they don’t have as much life experience as a graduate would have, so it’s important that they get that full balance.’’

The apprentices may start straight from school, but they start to pull their weight almost immediately.

“We do a one week on-boarding where we introduce everybody into the organisation,”

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says Howell. “Normally, people start with us in the first week in September and they will all do their first month end close by the end of that month. We are able to train them very quickly and they are useful to us straight away.’’

During the three years of the programme, the apprentice works in the three areas of finance; invoicing, banking and projects.

“So, when we bought Gillette they could have been helping to put them onto our standard accounting systems,” says Howell. “We also have roles in tax compliance, in our general ledger department doing submissions to Wall Street, so we have apprentices across the board now in all the different areas of finance.’’

The whole programme has been seen within the organisation as a success and the first apprentice to qualify has already been promoted from level one to level two within 18 months.

“He is a very much sought-after member of staff,’’ says Howell.

P&G takes on an average of 10 apprentices every year and this year about 150 attended

CASE STUdY the initial recruitment open evening.

“We are lucky in that we are able to take the best, so if we had 12 that were fantastic in one year then we would certainly make sure we found space for 12,’’ says Howell. “Equally, if we only had seven that met our criteria and we thought would fit with the company, then it would be seven.

“We look for people who can show examples of leadership, of being a team player, who want to influence change, who are really enthusiastic about what they are signing up for, so people who have a real passion for working in accounting and finance, knowing that’s the area they definitely want to go into.’’

The success of the scheme has led to it being considered in other parts of P&G, such as R&D, manufacturing and IT. Howell says: “We can’t speak highly enough of the apprentices here, they really have been a positive influence on our business and we are definitely going to continue doing this, because we totally believe it’s the right thing to do, to offer a different set of people opportunities that they wouldn’t have had five or six years ago.’’ n

Apprenticeships: Good for business Three young finance apprentices from Procter & Gamble’s Global Financial Service Centre in North Tyneside are proving to be top of their game as they take the lead on recruitment for the undergraduate apprentice programme.

Rebecca Kelly, 21, Jessica Smailes, 20, and Helen Dobson, 21, have almost doubled application figures to the P&G professional finance and accounting undergraduate programme this year after dedicating their spare time to building relationships with local schools, re-designing presentation materials, and using social media to market the scheme to school-leavers.

Sonja Howell says: “This is the first year that our apprentices have run the recruitment process.

The increase in school-leavers who have shown an interest in the programme is very exciting, and is down to the hard work of our apprentices who have contacted more schools in the region and put on open evenings to speak about their experiences on the programme to other young people.

“It really does demonstrate the slogan ‘Apprenticeships: Good for Business’ as the girls are helping to shape the future of P&G with their fresh approach.”

Rebecca, from Sunderland, has just graduated from the programme. She says: “I am delighted to have recently graduated from the P&G programme and am so pleased that I chose this option when I left school. Many of my friends who went to university are now in debt and struggling to find a job – I feel very lucky to have been able to finish the scheme with both a degree and a secure full-time job.

“P&G really is a fantastic company to work for and it’s great to be able to give something back by working to promote the apprenticeship programme to other school-leavers.”

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One washer-up who had an aptitude for the kitchen got very interested in what the chefs were doing

KITCHEN GADGIE In the age of the celebrity chef, Peter Jackson talks to the man who dominates the region’s restaurant scene about apprenticeships in the kitchen Terry Laybourne started his career when the idea of sophisticated cuisine in the North East – and indeed in most regions – was a prawn cocktail.

Now, 23 years after the opening of his first restaurant, the famous 21 Queen Street, the region’s culinary scene has been transformed, Laybourne is an MBE, and he has a string of restaurants and cafes: Café 21 on Newcastle

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Quayside; Café 21 in Fenwick; Caffè Vivo on the Quayside, Bistro 21 in Durham and – about to open – the Broad Chare gastropub on the Quayside.

He started his own career as an apprentice with Swallow Hotels and he has been a regular employer of apprentices, losing count of how many he has had on his books, though he currently has five.

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“They are enthusiastic young people who come to me,” says Laybourne. “For example, one is an ex kitchen porter, a washer-up who had an aptitude for the kitchen and got very interested in what the chefs were doing.

“Another young lad came to us in Durham when he was about 15 looking for a Saturday job; he was too young at the time for us to take him on in the kitchen, so he worked >>

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out front for about a year and, as soon as he left school, we took him on as an apprentice.

“Another one at Café 21 had a university place but that wasn’t really where his heart was, he wanted to cook, he found us. So it’s through a multitude of routes, there are all different characters and backgrounds, but, in general terms, they find us.’’

The apprentices work in the kitchens for four days a week and attend Gateshead College on the fifth, where they study for an NVQ Level 2 in professional cookery. After two years they will qualify as commis chefs.

Surprisingly, given the high profile of cooking

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for a career, there are not the apprentice sources there once were.

Laybourne explains: “The traditional trading routes have broken down somewhat over the

years. Back when I learnt to cook, the big hotel companies had huge kitchen brigades and were pretty much training houses.

“All of the basic training was done in those

We are a bit like Crewe Alexandra, we are a feeder club for restaurants in London and elsewhere, but that’s how it works – these guys have got to move on

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places but, over the years, a lot of that has been eroded and the big hotel groups have gone down the route of de-skilling and the relatively recent boom in the leisure industry since the Monopolies Commission got involved in pubs and forced them down the food route, has further driven that de-skilling.

“So we have a problem, we have an expanding industry and a shrinking training centre.’’

And he believes it is a bigger challenge for his own business.

“I actually believe that we are the best operators in this city and, as the best operators, it’s then very difficult for us to recruit staff from our competitors because I want my guys to work at a higher level. It’s very unusual for us to be able to bring the relevant skills in from the outside, we have got to grow our own.’’

This means that when taking on apprentices he has to find the right material and, it seems, that the right attitude is of paramount importance.

“We look for enthusiasm, for people who have got a practical mindset and enjoy working with their hands, people who have got their feet firmly on the ground,” he says.

“We try to look for something in their background or in their interests or in their schoolwork that demonstrates they are team players.’’

It is not an easy job, with daily deadlines and therefore daily pressures, so he has to make sure he only recruits the truly committed and those with an understanding of what the career involves, either through family connection or through having had the initiative to do their own research.

Talking of the pressures of the job, is the picture presented by Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen an accurate one?

“In general, no,” he says. “It does exist, but the Ramsay approach is likening his kitchen to

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being in the SAS, and if you put it in that military context, there’s only a small number who can survive the rigours of the SAS. We run a far more gentle regime. We don’t have a never-ending stream of highly skilled cooks wanting to come and work here, so we have to nurture people; we have to build them slowly and look after them.

“At the same time, it is tough, our kitchens are exacting and so are the standards.’’

Terry Laybourne ensures his apprentices are supported through the pressures with a mentoring system providing them with more experienced members of staff to whom they can go for help and advice.

“We try to dish out some responsibility all the way down the line,” he says. “Kitchens are traditionally hierarchical and they still operate in that way.’’

Laybourne would like to extend the current two-year apprenticeship to three years.

“I’d really like to create some bolt-ons, some added value stuff where they could get away for a couple of months to maybe a restaurant in France or maybe the States where they can really do some serious management training – stuff that’s preparing them for the future, but we are little way away from that at the moment, I’m afraid.’’

But an apprenticeship in a Laybourne restaurant still includes some bolt-ons that others would envy.

He says: “We try to broaden the kids’ minds really, to get them out and about and get them travelled a little bit and seeing other things. I’ll probably take the five we have now to Paris at the end of June or beginning of July to tour some restaurants, to go to look at the markets and just to absorb some of that culture in a city that is driven by food.’’

Laybourne says that, while there are never any guarantees, he has never had anyone finish their apprenticeship to whom he has not been able to offer a place.

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INTERVIEW

When they do leave, he takes an interest in where they go.

“There’s a few of them dotted all over the world. There’s one just left us to go to Australia. Another, who is still with us in Café 21, has just been out to New York on a six-week study tour. There’s a couple in London with jobs that I have found for them with restaurants that we have a relationship with.

“It’s a little bit sad, but in some ways, we operate a bit like Crewe Alexandra, we are a feeder club for restaurants in London and elsewhere, but that’s how it works – these guys have got to move on and see other things. I’m always happier if I know where they are going and what sort of set-up they are going into and know that they will be looked after and treated with respect.’’

Cooking is, says Laybourne, an international language and, potentially for any young chef, the world’s their oyster and the sky’s the limit.

“There’s a mate of mine who’s a couple of years older than me who was an apprentice at the Turks Head Hotel in Newcastle when I started out at the Swallow and he runs a restaurant business in Atlanta that grosses about US$60m to US$70m a year.’’

He admits that apprenticeships and bringing on young people is something he feels deeply about, but, in characteristically self-effacing manner, he claims no personal interest.

“This is not me acting out of some sort of community spirit on some sort of crusade; there is a business need and I’m astute enough to recognise that and I’m prepared to do something about it rather than sit on the fence and whinge like 90% of my peers seem to. You just accept that these are the conditions you are trading in and you just have to take it on and deal with it. If these people are approached in the right way and nurtured in the right way then they deliver, there’s no question.’’ n

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INDUSTRY INSIDER Steve Grant is the new managing director of the TTE Technical Training Group. He talks to Peter Jackson about apprentices TTE is one of the largest UK-based providers of training for the oil and gas, process, manufacturing and engineering sectors.

So Steve Grant, who has succeeded Keith Hunter as managing director on the latter’s retirement, assumes a key role in the provision of apprentices to key industries in the region.

TTE Training Group was set up just over 20 years ago by British Steel and ICI to provide them with apprentices. It later became an independent charity, a company limited by guarantee, whose core business is engineering apprenticeship training.

It has about 600 trainees on its books at any one time, half of whom are at TTE’s training centre in South Bank, Middlesbrough, and half out on placement with sponsoring companies.

The company has about 130 employees and an annual turnover of about £14m a year.

A second arm of the business, TTE International, operates all over the world, fulfilling contracts for training in the oil and gas and process industries and earning revenues which can be ploughed back into TTE apprenticeships.

Grant explains: “A big part of our international company’s operation is around what we call nationalisation – whereby countries like Nigeria or Equatorial Guinea want to train local people and that can involve them sending, for example, Nigerians over here for six to nine months, which is a fantastic experience for us and for them.’

“Oil and gas activity are closely linked to the price of oil, but these companies have to keep drilling and exploring and making their assets work for them, so while it’s not recessionproof, it has its own economy.’’

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TTE also engages in training older workers on Teesside with re-skilling or refresher courses, usually paid for by their employer companies.

Typically apprentices go to TTE from the age of 16 having met the minimum entry requirements. They then do two years at the centre studying for NVQs to level 3. During those two years they spend one day a week at Redcar and Cleveland College, which provides the technical certificate.

“For those two years it’s similar to being a student at sixth form college,’’ says Grant.

“They don’t receive any pay and towards the end of that two years we will fix them up with a sponsoring company such as SSI or Huntsman or even a small electrical company.

TTE takes on the employer status, so they are not seen as numbers on this company’s books, we pay them and are then reimbursed by the sponsoring company.

“In that time they’ll go off onto site and they will be like an employee and will contribute to adding value to that company. They will come back into TTE for refresher courses and a >>

A big part of our international company’s operation is around what we call nationalisation.

For example, Nigerians come over here for six to nine months which is a fantastic experience

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we have a team of peripatetic assessors who we will go out onto site, which is what vocational training is all about.’’

At the centre, the students work from 8am until 4pm, with half-an-hour for lunch.

“We have a huge workshop here full of lathes and valves and pumps, all sorts of equipment like three-phase separators that are used in the oil and gas industry process rigs,’’ says Grant.

Some of the apprentices, when they start, have a clear idea of which areas they ultimately want to move into and aptitude testing also provides some direction. There are four areas of specialisation – chemical, electrical, instrumentation and process.

“For the young person who is practically minded and wants that kind of career, it’s ideal. This is a slightly different model. A lot of companies in the area won’t take people until they are 18 because of the types of industry and shift patterns. So we provide a bridge between the school leaving date and starting work.”

He points out that the off-the-job training TTE gives is expensive to provide.

“At the end of the day, it’s what the employers want. They want young people who have been through our process; it provides such an excellent grounding. Increasingly, it’s difficult for people to get apprenticeships directly at companies.

“Basically with us it’s a company outsourcing their apprenticeship training because it’s capital intensive and expensive.

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Engineering training is more expensive than, say, hairdressing.’’

This, he says, is reflected in the demand for TTE’s services.

He says: “TTE has a fantastic reputation. In terms of applications for apprenticeships from young people, we are absolutely inundated every year with 700 or 800 applications for just 150 places. Similarly with employers, we have a long history and they will approach us and ask for a certain number of apprentices of a certain discipline.’’

As he has pointed out, this training does not come cheap and a major issue for TTE is to meet the burden of the expense of engineering apprenticeships.

Grant says: “It’s a big challenge for us to keep our kit and equipment updated. The three-phase separator, which is a fantastic bit of kit and is probably as big as a large office that’s two storeys high, simulates what happens on an oil rig.

“It’s a big challenge for us to generate enough surplus to invest in the kit and equipment, it has to be said and we are not a public sector body, we are a private company, albeit a charity and we would like to have access to the type of investment that colleges have, for example.

“We are hoping, with the Government’s focus on apprenticeships, it recognises that companies like ours need that kind of support and, in terms of return on investment, if they want to take people off the dole queue and

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put them into jobs in as short a time as possible, companies like TTE are the perfect vehicle for that.’’

Not only that, but TTE believes its model of apprenticeships give a greater breadth of training than would otherwise be the case.

“It gives a broader training and the apprentices are with a larger number of young people, eating together and playing together and studying together and I think that’s an advantage,’’ says Grant.

For the future, it has to be a great fillip to TTE that Teesside Cast Products has been taken over by Thailand’s SSI in a £291m deal which will safeguard 700 jobs and create 800 more.

“We couldn’t have had better news than that for the area and for the business,” says Grant.

“When the plant was mothballed those were dark times for Teesside and for TTE. We were born out of British Steel, so we have a huge history and legacy of working with the steel industry and training young people to go into the steel industry and that has always been our biggest source of sponsorship, so we are very keen to start working with SSI and I think they will recognise our reputation and our knowledge.’

The company also sees opportunities in the renewables and nuclear sectors.

“I think our infrastructure and know-how could be used for other disciplines and certainly other industry sectors.’’

If he is right, TTE could continue to provide apprentices to sustain the manufacturing process industries of the future and maintain a tradition of which Steve Grant is proud.

He says: “I was on a plane the other week coming back from Europe and I sat next to a young guy in his late 20s, a very confident young man, and we got chatting and it turned out he worked on the gas fields in Yemen. He was on a five-weeks-on, five-weeks-off rotation and in the five-weeks-off he went back-packing. It turns out he was trained at TTE about 10 years ago and his brother is here now. He said to me he loved it here and he thought about going to college, but it wouldn’t have given him as good a chance of getting a job as coming to TTE and it has worked out for him. That’s the kind of reason we don’t have to advertise much in the Teesside area for young people.’’ n

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It’s a big challenge for us to keep our kit and equipment updated.

The three-phase separator is probably as big as a large office that’s two storeys high

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BAGS OF TRAINING

An apprenticeship can often be the launchpad to much greater things, as Peter Jackson discovers talking to Tim Lamb >>

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It’s a big job by any standard. Being general manager of the Metrocentre means heading up Europe’s largest shopping and leisure centre, with more than two million square feet of retail space which provides employment for 7,000 people. Some 23 million shoppers visit it every year, spending just short of £500m.

There can be scarcely a family in the region which does not make some contribution to that impressive total.

But Tim Lamb carries that responsibility with a cheery ease, which is all the more remarkable when one hears how he started his working life back in 1977.

It was an inauspicious start. At 16, he had just sat his O-levels at Kenton Comprehensive, confident of good results and shocked to pass just two.

“I just didn’t put the effort in, I thought I could just do it on ability alone and failed miserably,’’ he recalls.

He decided against doing resits and resolved to get a job. He saw an advert and went to an interview for an apprenticeship at the parts department of Mill Garages in Gosforth.

“At that time, I just remember thinking that I was in a bit of a hole here and had better do something about it,’’ he says. “Up until that point, I had never given any thought whatsoever to a career. I just saw it as an opportunity to get started on the work ladder;

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it still wasn’t about career then, it was about earning money. I raced motorbikes at the time and every penny I had went into that.’’

His apprenticeship was in parts department management and, after two years, he also took up motor vehicle technology.

“By that point, I figured out I actually enjoyed education. I went to Gateshead Technical College on day-release and found the people there to be inspiring people who were enthusiastic about what they were teaching

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and they managed to get the same enthusiasm out of me.’’

He then did Institute of Motor Industry and City & Guild qualifications and achieved distinctions.

“Then I realised, I wasn’t as stupid as I thought I was,” he says. “I figured out, if you work really hard, get stuck into it, you do well. I also figured out, if you were the guy who was first through the door in the morning and last one out at night, that people took notice of that.’’

He then finished his apprenticeship and transferred to service reception. He looks back on these years as being absolutely formative to his later career.

He says: “It gave me a great grounding, it taught me the basic principles of being at work, which are turn up on time, or earlier; be ready for work on time, or earlier; work as hard as you can when you are there; be constructive and be creative in what you are doing – and that’s not that easy in a parts department. But we did figure out ways to make the job easier and smarter and more profitable.

“It just worked really well for me being an apprentice. Had I stayed at school and got better results and gone on to university I’m not sure things would have worked out quite so well for me. It was that really big kick up the backside that everybody needs at some point in my life that really woke me up. It worked

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really nicely for me being an apprentice.’’

By the age of 23, Lamb was service manager and by then married. He began to think seriously about his career. When Mill Garages began to move into marketing, he was put in charge and he commissioned the first ever back-of-a bus advert in the North East.

Then he left Mill Garages and joined Rentokil, as service delivery manager, “in the hugely glamorous female sanitary hygiene division’’, at a time when the company was growing aggressively.

“The salary was poor but the incentives were great,’’ he says. “It taught me about motivating people. Although I was service delivery manager, I was working with the sales team. I learned that you manage individuals, not teams and, if you manage the individuals, the teams come together. It was a great time and a great basis for learning how to be a manager.’’

He then returned briefly to the motor trade, working for a Porsche franchise before joining a company called Health Call, which managed the out-of-hours GPs’ service, where he was general manager of the Newcastle branch.

“I had a great time there,” he says. “We were the most successful part of the business in a business that was the most successful of its kind in the UK. I had five brilliant years there and really enjoyed it and grew up as a manager. I was well into my thirties at this point, was earning decent money, was able to express myself as a manager, express myself as a business leader, starting to dictate how the business ran by that point, rather than just managing to the tune of others.’’

Then he was offered the position of managing director of a small company called Northumbrian Spring, a water cooler rental and bottling company based in Darlington and owned by French giant Suez. He was charged with a clear strategy of growing the company organically and through acquisition to make it the largest in its market in the UK. He duly acquired 13 businesses within 20 months to take the company to a position of number three in the UK. Within three years they had achieved the number one position and Lamb then decided to put his experience to use by going self-employed to do mergers and acquisitions.

apprenticeships and training

The apprenticeship gave me structure and an understanding of how business works. It was not just about my individual job

“I actually made better money than I’ve made in my life doing that, but I just didn’t enjoy working alone,” he says. “I quite like being a ‘suit’, I like being in large organisations and trying to influence those organisations.’’

Fortunately, he was then given the opportunity

by Capital Shopping Centres to become the general manager for Eldon Square, a position he took up in August 2005.

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INTERVIEW

He says: “I had five hugely enjoyable years managing the shopping centre right through the £170m development, redeveloping the shopping centre, adding two new malls, adding 450,000 square feet of retail space, to take Eldon Square from a decent size to be the UK’s largest city-centre shopping centre.

“I can remember Eldon Square opening in 1976 when I was a teenager and I started to think, ‘Blimey, I’ve come a long way’, and it wasn’t until then that I started to really think about how an apprenticeship and how being an apprentice had taught me all those basic principles about what the right things are to do at work.’’

The position of general manager of the Metrocentre – also owned by Capital Shopping Centres – came up and, for five months he managed both centres before taking over the Metrocentre full-time in April 2010.

He has never forgotten what he owes to his own apprenticeship and under him, the centre has just taken on its own apprentice. He has also become ambassador for the North East Apprenticeship Company (NEAC), which was formed last year, initially as a partnership between Gateshead Council and Gateshead College. It is now an independent commercial organisation, matching employers to apprentices and with an aim to create more than 1,000 apprentice jobs in the region by 2012.

His role will be to promote apprenticeships – something he is likely to do with passion.

He says: “The apprenticeship gave me structure and gave me an understanding of how business works. It was not just about my individual job, so, when I was at work, I was learning and practically doing the things that you do in a parts department – everything from stock control to financial management to customer care. But, while I was at college, they also taught me about what a business is and how it works and I’m not sure, had I not been an apprentice I would ever have got that basic understanding. Tying practical, pertinent education into the job you are doing is massively important.

“An apprenticeship gives you that opportunity, you don’t have to go looking for it, because it’s there.’’ n

SPECIAL REPORT | SPRING 11

CASE STUdY

SPRING 11

JUST THE BUSINESS One North East training provider shares the secret of its success One of the region’s largest training providers is the North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) with training centres across the North East.

NECC offers businesses the opportunity to recruit an apprentice, or to train existing employees in business disciplines from accountancy and business administration to engineering and construction.

More than 650 businesses in the North East engage with NECC to deliver apprenticeships and training more than 1,000 NECC Learners each year has produced success rates of 80%.

Here we spotlight two of those success stories: Georgia Webb, 21, secured an apprenticeship with Iris Law Firm in Gateshead after struggling to find employment that fitted around her childcare.

Georgia said: “I had only worked in a nightclub before, so I didn’t have a lot of experience in administration, which is the course I am now signed up to with the North East Chamber of Commerce.

“I was put forward for an interview with Iris Law on a Friday, was told I had the job on the Monday. I actually started work on the Wednesday, so it was all very fast.”

SPECIAL REPORT | SPRING 11

Georgia is settling well into her new job, working towards her Level 2 NVQ in Business Administration.

She said: “I was really excited to get the job with Iris Law, and I am enjoying it.

“The team there are lovely and I am learning so many new things every day. It is definitely giving me new skills that will help me in the future.”

Claire Soltani, who is a partner at Iris Law, said: “Ours is a very busy office, and Georgia has provided us with a stable administrative support, which allows us to concentrate on substantive business.

“She has proven to be a very valuable addition to the team.”

Louise Breen, 20, from Eston in Middlesbrough, struggled to find employment due to lack of experience and qualifications.

Louise decided to pursue a career in administration after leaving a job in retail, but had no qualifications.

An apprenticeship provided the opportunity to gain on-the-job experience, as well as recognised qualifications.

After applying for a number of jobs in

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Middlesbrough and Hartlepool, Louise was offered a year-long trial with Chuhan and Singh Accountants in May 2010.

“It was really exciting to be offered the post with Chuhan and Singh Accountants, she says.

“I had applied for so many posts, and each time was told I did not have enough experience.

“The fact that I didn’t have qualifications made it even harder, as a lot of businesses didn’t seem to be willing to take on someone who would require training.

“To be turned away each time was really disheartening.”

Having been in her current secretarial post for nine months, Louise is gaining new skills and is looking forward to achieving a Business Administration Level 1 NVQ this year.

“I am really enjoying working here,” she says.

“There are some elements of the job that have been a challenge for me, but it is exciting to learn new skills.

“The experience and qualification I am gaining in completing this apprenticeship will definitely stand me in good stead for my future career.” n

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APPRENTICEShIPS ANd TRAINING

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CASE STUdY

The fact that I didn’t have qualifications made it harder, as a lot of businesses didn’t seem willing to take someone who would require training SPECIAL REPORT | SPRING 11

INTERVIEW

SPECIAL REPORT | SPRING 11

SPRING 11

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APPRENTICEShIPS ANd TRAINING

SPRING 11

INTERVIEW

SPARK OF ENERGY A forecast driver of the region’s economic renaissance is the green agenda. Gateshead College is positioning itself to provide the skilled workforce required, as Peter Jackson discovers

Despite construction being in the doldrums, Gateshead College has signalled an important vote of confidence in the sector’s future.

It has announced a new £7.5m extension to its Skills Academy for Construction at Team Valley.

It claims that the 50,000sq ft facility will be one of the most innovative of its kind in the region, delivering specialist training in green and renewable energy technologies for the benefit of students and construction industry employers. It will accommodate about another 150 apprentices, with the same number of full-time students.

Work began in March and the opening is scheduled for September, allowing the college to build on green courses already available which include solar photovoltaic, solar heating, grey water recycling, heat pumps, biomass and combined heat and power training. It will expand training space by 40%, with new workshops, classrooms, library and an IT centre.

Mick Brophy, Gateshead College’s managing

APPRENTICEShIPS ANd TRAINING

director for business and innovation, says: “It touches almost on every construction and building service trade we can think of.

“What we will be doing is greening the apprenticeships, adding in the things we think will help the employers – so it will be things like underfloor heating, combined heat and power sources and rainwater harvesting.

What it means for our employers is if they have a trained workforce it enables them to then be able to confidently bid for work in these realms.

“Similarly, if you looked at electricals, we will be training our electricians to install smart meters and we would be training them to understand everything around photovoltaic installation. Our roofers will be trained in roofing, but they will also be trained in solar panel installation.’’

It will complete the college’s Team Valley campus, which includes the Skills Academy for Automotive Engineering Manufacturing and Logistics and the Autoskills centre, which has already greened its curriculum. >>

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They just love anything technological.

They challenge how we assess a young person’s competency in the workplace, asking why we don’t use social media

SPECIAL REPORT | SPRING 11

INTERVIEW

SPRING 11

“We have been teaching our service and repair motor vehicle apprentices how to decommission batteries and how to service electric vehicles,’’ says Brophy. “People will be trained in this new technology. We have written the units and modules that they need and we have got the kit and equipment that they need to practice these skills.’’

The college has built a sustainability centre on land it bought from Nissan, which will open in July to all manufacturing companies across the region.

“We have at the moment about 100 apprentices coming through in that area and we would be looking to at least double that,’’ says Brophy.

“That’s very much dedicated to new technologies, both in terms of the battery plant and in terms of the electric vehicle production. We have written all the training programmes that are needed inside the factory gate and all the programmes you need outside the factory gate for when these vehicles come up for service and repair.’’

Here, Brophy points out, there are overlaps with construction.

“Who is installing all the public charge points?

Who is installing all the smart meters in the domestic premises? It’s going to be my apprentices. People don’t connect electric vehicles and construction, but they are all major job opportunities.

“The great thing is that Nissan is committing a lot of its internal resources into that centre, which we get use of and access to robotic equipment and all that kind of thing.’’

As industry and its associated technologies change so rapidly, the college has to be on its toes to stay abreast.

Says Brophy: “The technology changes all the time, that’s for sure. The battery plant will be producing about 60,000 batteries a year.

That’s first generation, but they are already working on second generation technology in Japan.

But, whatever the technological demands, he is confident the youngsters doing the apprenticeships are up for it, which will be important in a future which demands continuous learning.

“You could put a modern-day plumber in a 1930s or 1940s house and they would

SPECIAL REPORT | SPRING 11

recognise the plumbing structures straight away. But the speed of technological change now is massively changing the industry and what you need is young people coming in – as we have – with an open-mindedness, no baggage and a willingness to learn. And the technology is new to them but it’s not daunting.

“They just love anything technological and they just accept it as the norm and bring with them other aspirations around the whole area of technology. For example, they challenge how we assess a young person’s competency in the workplace, asking why we don’t use social media.’’

He says that Government encouragement has given the whole green agenda a powerful following wind.

“This current Government has more challenging green targets than the previous Government and I think that kind of pressure now asserts itself with employers, which, in turn, asserts itself with the kind of skills they need in the workforce and that they need to recruit,’’ says Brophy.

“As a college, our business is capacity building

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and building those skills so that’s where our investment needed to be, in new and renewable technologies. In equipping young people with the right skills we are enabling employers to take opportunities when they come. Construction is in a bit of a slump but it will lift and once it does, there’ll be a crying need for young people with these kinds of skills.’’

He believes that an area that has not yet really begun to take off but which will demand great investment in new skills is power generation.

“When you have China investing something like £54bn in clean energy, the UK equivalent is just over £3bn, even Italy does more than we do at £4bn. That gives an idea of how much catching up the UK has got to do. The Government has very challenging targets.

“We are still left with the two major challenges that we have hardly begun to address – the two biggest sources of our carbon footprint are transport and housing.

Britain has the highest carbon footprint in housing probably across Europe.

“I just look at all those challenges, and I just think – that’s jobs.’’ n

apprenticeships and training

CHOOSE TO MENTOR CHOOSE ENTHUSIASM

Choose to train your staff or new recruits with an Apprenticeship training programme at Newcastle College.

Whether you want to inspire an existing employee or invest in new talent for your team then an Apprenticeship programme could be the right option for you.

We offer the widest range of Apprenticeships in the north east. Speak to our Business Contact team today:

NCL_779

T: 0845 600 4140 E: apprenticeships@ncl-coll.ac.uk W: www.newcastlecollege.co.uk/apprenticeships

BUILD YOUR TEAM, YOUR WAY

Training for business Every business needs to invest in people to succeed.

At Middlesbrough College we can help you identify the training your organisation needs. We can design a bespoke training package and deliver in the workplace which will help your business develop and prosper.

What you can expect from us • We will undertake a comprehensive analysis of your organisation’s training needs and help you identify the training that you need and any funding that may be available to you which may reduce the cost of training.

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We will provide easy access to relevant, flexible, high quality training, delivered mostly in the workplace and using an “assess-train-assess” model, which takes into account the prior learning and experience of your employees.

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We will provide information and support to help you and your staff access a wide range of training packages including higher level qualifications and training.

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We will help build mutually beneficial relationships with local employers across all industry sectors.

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We will provide a one-stop-shop providing training advice and guidance for your staff.

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We have excellent facilities including training rooms and a restaurant for company events.

We offer training in the following areas.

• Catering and Hospitality • Construction and the Built Environment • Creative Media • Customer Service, Business Management & Leadership • Distance Learning • Engineering, Manufacturing & IT • Fashion Retail • Fitness and Leisure • Hairdressing, Beauty & Complementary Therapies • Health and Safety • Health, Public Services and Care • Retail • Skills for Life • and many other areas

For more information contact the Employer Services Team on: Tel. 01642 333322 Email. employerservices@mbro.ac.uk