Apprenticeship leads to full-time career

An apprentice from Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) has secured full-time employment with a local business having completed her Apprenticeship.

Yolanda Mainwaring aged 20 from Alsager, proved to be the model apprentice for local engineering firm, Langley alloys, which have now employed Yolanda as a full-time Operations Administrator.

Yolanda describes her journey from school to full-time employment: “I left school in 2008 and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do.  I spent a few years trying different types of study but decided I wanted to do something practical, so I looked into doing an Apprenticeship with Newcastle-under-Lyme College.”

The former Alsager High School pupil continues: “The College provided guidance and support in the various sectors that Apprenticeships are available in and helped me to find a placement at Langley Alloys.  Through doing an Apprenticeship I was able to earn a weekly wage whilst learning in a real working environment.”

NULC currently provides Apprenticeships in more than a dozen areas including Accounting, Business and Administration, Construction, Childcare, Electrical Installation, Engineering, Hairdressing, Health and Social Care, Retail and IT.

Langley Alloys is one of more than 400 businesses across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent who work with the College to provide Apprenticeship placements.  Last year the College reported a record increase in the number of people taking up an Apprenticeship, resulting in a need for more employers to offer apprentice roles within their organisations. 

Neil Barlow, NVQ Assessor at NULC said: “The College works very closely with local businesses to ensure that we meet the needs of both the business and the apprentice.  Apprenticeships are proving to be an increasingly popular way for local businesses to meet their staffing needs and we’re always looking to work with more local employers to provide apprentice roles.”

Langley Alloys, based in Newcastle-under-Lyme was founded in 1938 and has a worldwide reputation for inventing and supporting advanced stainless steels, nickel and bronze alloys. 

Operations Director of Langley Alloys, Mike Hickman said: “Our philosophy is to invest in the local area, particularly with young people.  Yolanda was our third apprentice and the second from Newcastle-under-Lyme College.  We have been very impressed with the service we received from the College in terms of recruitment and also ongoing support for Yolanda.  In fact, employing our Apprentice’s in partnership with Newcastle-under-Lyme College was such a success that we’re currently talking to the College about recruiting another apprentice in our Warehousing department.”

Reflecting on choosing to study an Apprenticeship, Yolanda said: “Studying an Apprenticeship has changed my life.  I went from leaving school not really knowing what I wanted to do and have ended up with a career in a successful and growing company.  Apprenticeships are a fantastic alternative to academic study and provide you with on the job experience which is relevant to the work place.”

To find out more about Newcastle-under-Lyme College’s apprenticeships and other workplace training programmes visit www.nulc.ac.uk/employer or contact the Employer Training team on 01782 254376.

In the Spotlight…Business Apprenticeships

NULC works closely with more than 400 local employers to provide Apprenticeships in a variety of areas.  In this blog post we’re taking a look at the type of training available in the Business sector. 

We have a range Apprenticeships and NVQs that can be delivered in the workplace, from Level 2 through to Level 5.  Qualifications available include Business and Administration, Management, Accounting, IT, Retail, Warehousing and Customer Service. 

Here Kerry Bonfiglio-Bains, Owner of Appointments Personnel Recruitment Agency in Newcastle, Staffordshire discusses how employing a Business Administration Apprentice through NULC has worked for her business.

 

With an apprentice salary starting at around £97 per week, employers can benefit from an extra member of staff and receive ongoing support from an experienced apprenticeship assessor who will visit the apprentice in the workplace to minimise disruption to the business.

Vicky Boulton Clarke, Head of Employer Engagement at NULC said: “Apprenticeships are a unique, low-cost and low-risk way of ensuring that your workforce has the practical skills and qualifications your organisation needs now and in the future.”

“What’s more, the College takes care of the entire apprentice recruitment process right up to the shortlist for final interviews.  This provides the employer with significant cost savings in terms of recruitment fees whilst allowing them to make the final decision as to who will join the organisation.”

“As we see it, working with employers to create opportunities like this are vital in supporting government agenda to reduce youth unemployment and crucial to developing skills that support economic growth.”

To find out more about the College’s Apprenticeships and employer training programmes contact the Employer Engagement Team on employer@nulc.ac.uk or call 01782 254376.

In the Spotlight…Engineering Apprenticeships

NULC works closely with more than 400 local employers to provide Apprenticeships in a variety of areas.  In this blog post we’re taking a look at the type of training available in the Engineering sector. 

A range of Engineering Apprenticeships and NVQs are delivered in the workplace, including Electro-technical, Engineering, Engineering Construction, Engineering Manufacture, Performance Maintenance Operations and Engineering Technical Support.  These are delivered at various levels, starting at Level 2 qualifications through to Foundation degrees.

Here Leigh Turley, Engineering Manager for Transmission at ABB in Stone, Staffordshire discusses how employing an Engineering Apprentice through NULC has worked for the international engineering company.

With an apprentice salary starting at around £97 per week, employers can benefit from an extra member of staff and receive ongoing support from an experienced apprenticeship assessor who will visit the apprentice in the workplace to minimise disruption to the business.

Vicky Boulton Clarke, Head of Employer Engagement at NULC said: “Apprenticeships are a unique, low-cost and low-risk way of ensuring that your workforce has the practical skills and qualifications your organisation needs now and in the future.”

“What’s more, the College takes care of the entire apprentice recruitment process right up to the shortlist for final interviews.  This provides the employer with significant cost savings in terms of recruitment fees whilst allowing them to make the final decision as to who will join the organisation.”

“As we see it, working with employers to create opportunities like this are vital in supporting government agenda to reduce youth unemployment and crucial to developing skills that support economic growth.”
To find out more about the Engineering Apprenticeships at NULC click here.

To find out more about the College’s Apprenticeships and employer training programmes contact the Employer Engagement Team on employer@nulc.ac.uk or call 01782 254376.

Forklift truck training now available to local employers

Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) is now accredited with RTITB to deliver ‘On Customer Premises’ forklift truck training for Reach and Counter balance trucks.  

We are able to offer both Novice and Refresher training in line with RTITB and HSE regulations for lift truck operation. 

The course will be completed on your company premises using your lift truck which means the operator is trained or refreshed on the equipment they will be expected to use on a day-to-day basis rather than at a centre away from the workplace on unfamiliar equipment.

To find out more about the training contact the NULC Employer Engagement team on 01782 254376 or email employer@nulc.ac.uk.

In the Spotlight…Hairdressing Apprenticeships

NULC works closely with more than 400 local employers to provide Apprenticeships in a variety of areas.  In this blog post we’re taking a look at the type of training available in the Hairdressing sector. 

We work with a range of local salons to provide apprenticeship and training opportunities at Level 2 and Level 3 inHairdressing.  This year sees the introduction of Beauty Therapy Apprenticeships and also a new flexible approach to deliver training to apprentices that suits the needs of employers.   

We’re encouraging all local salons to join our business club to be involved in developing our training offer to enable us to identify skills gaps and tailor programmes to exceed those needs.

Here Steve Goodwin, Owner of Signature Hair Salon in Stoke-on-Trent discusses how employing a Hairdressing Apprentice through NULC has worked for the salon.

With an apprentice salary starting at around £97 per week, employers can benefit from an extra member of staff and receive ongoing support from an experienced apprenticeship assessor who will visit the apprentice in the workplace to minimise disruption to the business.

Vicky Boulton Clarke, Head of Employer Engagement at NULC said: “Apprenticeships are a unique, low-cost and low-risk way of ensuring that your workforce has the practical skills and qualifications your organisation needs now and in the future.”

“What’s more, the College takes care of the entire apprentice recruitment process right up to the shortlist for final interviews.  This provides the employer with significant cost savings in terms of recruitment fees whilst allowing them to make the final decision as to who will join the organisation.”

“As we see it, working with employers to create opportunities like this are vital in supporting government agenda to reduce youth unemployment and crucial to developing skills that support economic growth.”

To find out more about the Level 2 Apprenticeship in Hairdressingclick here.

To find out more about the Level 3 Apprenticeship in Hairdressingclick here.

If you’re a local employer who would like to find out more about how Apprenticeships could work for you business contact Phil Davies, Business Development Manager for Hair and Beauty at NULC on philip.davies@nulc.ac.uk or call 01782 254122.

In the Spotlight…Childcare Apprenticeships

Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) works closely with more than 400 local employers to provide Apprenticeships in a variety of areas.  In this blog post we’re taking a look at the type of training available in the Childcare sector. 

Children and Young People’s Workforce Apprenticeships (formerly childcare) are delivered to local nursery, childcare, early years settings and schools.  There are two levels available, Level 2 and Level 3, with potential to progress to a Foundation degree in Early Childhood Studies.

Here Ian Picken, Business Development Manager at John Baskeyfield VC CofE Primary School in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent discusses how employing a Childcare Apprentice through NULC has worked for the school.

With an apprentice salary starting at around £97 per week, employers can benefit from an extra member of staff and receive ongoing support from an experienced apprenticeship assessor who will visit the apprentice in the workplace to minimise disruption to the business.

Vicky Boulton Clarke, Head of Employer Engagement at NULCsaid: “Apprenticeships are a unique, low-cost and low-risk way of ensuring that your workforce has the practical skills and qualifications your organisation needs now and in the future.”

“What’s more, the College takes care of the entire apprentice recruitment process right up to the shortlist for final interviews.  This provides the employer with significant cost savings in terms of recruitment fees whilst allowing them to make the final decision as to who will join the organisation.”

“As we see it, working with employers to create opportunities like this are vital in supporting government agenda to reduce youth unemployment and crucial to developing skills that support economic growth.”

To find out more about the Level 2 Apprenticeship in Children and Young People’s Workforce click here.

To find out more about the Level 3 Apprenticeship in Children and Young People’s Workforce click here.

To find out more about the Foundation degree in Early Childhood studies which is offered in partnership with Staffordshire Universityclick here.

To find out more about the College’s Apprenticeships and employer training programmes contact the Employer Engagement Team on employer@nulc.ac.uk or call 01782 254376.

NULC hosts prestigious event for energy experts

Newcastle-under-Lyme College was the venue for a prestigious CIGRE UK event that gathered together many of the UK’s power network experts. The aim was to discuss how new technology, like that being developed by ABB, can help power networks adapt to meet the reliability and efficiency challenges of renewable energy.

March 21, 2012 - ABB Power Systems, based in Stone, Staffordshire, has just hosted a gathering of many of the UK power network experts. They came together to discuss how new technology can help power grids adapt to meet the challenges of renewable energy generation, such as wind power. The conference was organized by ABB in conjunction with CIGRE, the international non-profit Association for promoting collaboration with electrical experts from all around the world by sharing knowledge and expertise to improve electric power systems of today and tomorrow. 

Over 140 delegates were drawn to the event, held at Newcastle-under-Lyme College in Staffordshire. Its theme was ‘UK and European Transmission and Distribution network solutions to the challenge of increasing levels of renewable generation’. High on the agenda was how new technology, such as high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission, can help transport the power produced by wind farms located far offshore to consumers with minimum losses and maximum reliability.

‘Renewable energy, and especially wind power is now starting to play an increasingly important role as part of Europe’s energy mix. With its many advantages it also brings some significant challenges, especially in maintaining the reliability of supply that we, as consumers, now take for granted. So we were delighted to sponsor this CIGRE UK event that highlights the role that advanced technology, like HVDC and energy storage, will play in our energy future,’ said Colin Green, ABB’s head of Regulatory Affairs and Technology for the UK.

‘Advanced technology is only one part of the solution to our future energy challenge.  It is important not to lose sight of need for people with the right skills.  We are working very closely with Newcastle-under-Lyme College as the educational partner for our apprentice scheme.  We had no hesitation selecting their excellent conference facilities as the venue for this prestigious UK event to bring together technology and education. In fact, we even had some of our current apprentices on hand to demonstrate the augmented reality (AR) presentation of our technology for offshore wind farm grid connections.’

The conference was followed by a technical site visit to the UK’s first voltage source HVDC converter station, which is currently being construction by ABB.  When completed, later this year, the project will provide a 500 MW connection, via a subsea cable, between the power grids of Ireland and the UK.

ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 135,000 people.