With more government funding announced for apprenticeships, just how important are they?

The Welsh Government says the investment will fund 52,000 apprenticeships, with the majority of places targeted at 16 to 24 year olds in construction, engineering, IT and retail. Each apprentice will have the opportunity to study qualifications from foundation level to advanced level.

Kath Lewis, of Industrial Automation and Control Ltd, of Queensway Meadows, Newport, tells Business Argus how important apprentices are to the business, following the news that two are battling it out to be the UK representative at this year's Worldskills event in Brazil (see page 1).

How many apprentices does IAC Ltd take on each year?

We take on two apprentices each year in either an electrical engineering or electrical craft apprenticeship.

Why do you take on apprentices; what are the benefits to you & to them?

We find it to be one of the best ways to train young talent from an early age. It gives us control over their learning and practical skills so we can ensure they don’t pick up bad habits and learn the most appropriate methods to suit our systems. The qualifications they learn are tailored to our industry ensuring apprentices are trained in specific skills rather than generic engineering qualifications. We also find it’s a great way to foster loyalty by bringing youngsters in to the business and developing them through to more senior roles.

What specific qualities are you looking for in your candidates?

Attitude is the most important quality – we look for enthusiastic, eager individuals who are willing to learn, work hard and have a passion for engineering. Other essential skills include maths, science, in particular an aptitude for physics and also English – this often gets pushed down the list but our engineers have to be able to communicate their designs, to colleagues, customers and suppliers.

What kind of apprenticeship experience can candidates look forward to at IAC Ltd?

We always tell the applicants it’s four years of hard work. If you are looking to leave school and stop learning then an apprenticeship isn’t for you. Our apprentices are brought in to the company in early August so they can begin to integrate with the team prior to their departure to the training school in September. We operate a block release system with the training school, ensuring we see the apprentices and keep an eye on their training. Through the four years apprentices are given exposure to the different elements of the business so they can learn a variety of skills. This is fundamental to the scheme, ensuring the basic skills are provided early on, with the more specialist skills provided during the later years of the apprenticeship. At IAC we are also keen to develop a rounded engineer or technician and as such push our apprentices towards schemes such as Worldskills, which develops not just their programming skills but also builds on their confidence as well as adding in that competitive element.

How do you identify/recruit candidates?

Our recruitment starts in early March where we advertise on Careers Wales. Stage one of our process is to get candidates to fill in an IAC application form, after this they are invited to a selection test where we whittle down the candidates prior to stage three and four which is first and second interviews.

Who do you work with, which agency, to train your apprentices?

We use Newport and District Group Training Association for the vocational training along with the Btec ONC. For the HNC we use the University of South Wales as this provides a progression on to degree. NDGTA have been our partner for a number of years and we have always found their training to be excellent. We specifically use a training provider rather than the local college as it allows us a closer working relationship which in turn helps us to identify problems early on so we can take action.

Why do you believe apprenticeships are a good way to train people?

Apprenticeships are essential to the engineering industry as a way of passing on the practical skills which may not be taught in school or at university.

Did you do an apprenticeship yourself and how was it for you?

I personally didn’t however more than 75 per cent of our workforce did, including all three of our directors.