TRAINING


FANS


any more seems to be in their 20s unless their parents are involved in the trade. It’s as if apprenticeships fell out of fashion and school


careers advisors were pointing students to further education colleges rather than local companies. But we know that skilled people are the lifeblood of our company so we’re doing or best to put that right. We know if we train them correctly, they’re going to become important assets. It is with that in mind, that we invest in training courses for our apprentices but also their management to ensure they are properly supported so they can add value and boost productivity with and their work ethic and enthusiasm. It’s important to put money where mouths are as well, and


we recently invested £10,000 investment in two members of our team who successfully completed a 15-day course to qualify as certifi ed F-Gas engineers at Ellis Training in Hertfordshire. The Refrigeration, Air Conditioning & Heat Pump Systems City & Guilds course mainly involves practical sessions, learning to use tools and equipment and installing systems as was an important part of our colleagues’ continuous development. For every apprentice, there will be regular reviews and


thorough appraisals where we acknowledge and praise what they’re doing well and support what they need to do diff erently. It’s important to us that, they will also get the chance to have their say on how they want things to proceed. We set aside time to work with them on a one-on-


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one basis and I think that is refl ective of an overall culture where want to help people get on and develop. Also, we do our due diligence as well to make sure we’re getting the right people with the right attitude. We don’t just rely on interviews. We will look at school references and also their social media activity which seems to be a good barometer of character. In return, we know we have a responsibility to help each


and every one of our apprentices to progress. We try and promote from within, and we make sure every apprentice sees they can progress if they apply themselves. Acr companies can employ apprentices at diff erent levels – school leavers, university graduates, or people wanting to change career direction. As an employer, you can get funding from the government to help pay for apprenticeship training which will encourage up-and-coming companies like Campbell West. We generally take on 16- to 19-year-olds and so we qualify for government support which is welcome. If our government really wants to get bang for its buck, then it needs to focus on guidance for 15 and 16-year-olds so they’re more aware of what apprenticeship can off er, and so they don’t waste their time on the wrong or inappropriate courses.


In our view, apprenticeships are still very much undervalued. They are not front of mind with young people, their parents or their schools. Beyond National Apprenticeship Week, we want to see a light shone on what apprenticeships in the acr world can off er school-leavers.


www.acr-news.com • February 2024 15


But had it not been for apprenticeships, we’d have gone down the university route and would have probably ended up in jobs unrelated to our degrees. For us, learning on the job was by far the best way.


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