Skills Training UK wins award for ‘Apprenticeship Programme of the Year’
22/12/2020
Skills Training UK has won ‘Apprenticeship Programme of the Year’ at the Tes FE Awards 2020, announced on Friday 16 October at a virtual awards ceremony. The award gives recognition to the company’s work with both employers and the British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing (BINDT) to identify skills gaps and launch new non-destructive testing (NDT) apprenticeships, which employers have embraced.
NDT specialists are crucial to the safety of the aerospace, oil and gas industries and, until recently, 60% of workers were aged 60 and above, with just 13% of workers being under the age of 40. It was a skills gap that urgently needed addressing.Praising Skills Training UK’s innovative approach, the judges said: “The programme is totally employer focused and is very specific. It works together with sector bodies, local authorities and colleges. As a result, the quality of the apprenticeships is excellent. It is clear to see it has had a real impact right across the country.”
Skills Training UK is now the largest NDT apprentice provider in the UK and currently has 174 apprentices in training at 74 companies. Some 60% of these apprentices are aged 16-24. Apprenticeship programmes are a major benefit to employers who can upskill existing staff or recruit new talent into the sector.
There are three NDT apprenticeship programmes available: the Level 2 NDT Operator, the Level 3 NDT Engineering Technician, which can be accessed throughout the year, and the Level 6 NDT Engineer degree (BSc Hons) in partnership with the University of Northampton.
The company has developed a simple and effective delivery model for the NDT apprenticeships, which was welcomed by employers. The apprenticeships are delivered through a combination of theory and practice, with dedicated Skills Training UK trainer assessors supporting functional skills and specialist NDT training schools providing practical delivery and examinations. All apprenticeships factor in the specialist Level 2 or Level 3 qualifications in either PCN, EN 4179 or CSWIP.
Skills Training UK established formal contracts with six specialised training schools to deliver the technical method of training. The company invested in staff with high levels of training and industry expertise, including from Tata Steel. It also developed NDT staff to support the delivery of Kaizen projects using lean principles.
To continue the investment in NDT, the company opened a Skills Training UK Materials Testing office in Sheffield, next to the Advanced Manufacturing Park and within close proximity of three training school partners.
Martin Dunford OBE, Chief Executive, Skills Training UK, said: “We are delighted to win the Tes FE Awards Apprenticeship Programme of the Year 2020, especially following the excitement of winning Training Provider of the Year last year. We would like to thank the British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing and the trailblazer employers who worked with us to make the new NDT apprenticeships possible.
“Our end-to-end model is flexible to employers and apprentices, balancing on-/off-the-job training, being receptive to individual learning needs for functional and other skills and offering an innovative online platform.
“Employers have the choice of specialist testing methods (through the specialist training schools) and employees can trust they are training for internationally recognised technical certifications. Our model includes a recruitment service, which has inspired younger people to enter the industry.”
www.skillstraininguk.com
