GMB Britain General Union : Engineering Training On Humberside

Thursday, January 28, 2016

GMB And Employers Join Forces To Tackle Shortage Of Engineering Apprentices On Humberside

We are promoting the HETA engineering traineeship scheme designed to enable more learners to step up to a Level 3 engineering apprenticeship says GMB.

GMB is working with the Humberside Engineering Training Association (HETA) to promote engineering careers for young people.

GMB joined forced with HETA at an event at its Hull centre on 26th January which was attended by politicians, employers and training providers to discuss how to attract more young people into engineering.

Speakers at the event were Karl Turner MP for Hull East, Kishor Tailor Chief Executive Humber LEP, Iain Elliott HETA Chief Executive, Matthew Creagh TUC Policy Officer and Craig Stuart, GMB Regional Education and Health and Safety Officer.

In 2015 Humberside Engineering Training Association signed a memorandum of understanding with GMB to promote high quality training with good rates of pay.

A report published last year by the Royal Academy of Engineering said the UK will need more than a million new engineers and technicians by 2020. Last year HETA launched a campaign to encourage more women into engineering careers.

HETA's traineeship programme helps young people with such employability skills as interview techniques and writing CVs on their way towards an advanced apprenticeship.

Graham Randle, GMB Midlands and East Coast Region young workers project, said 'GMB is promoting the HETA Engineering Traineeship scheme which is designed to enable more learners to step up to a Level 3 Engineering Apprenticeship.

We want employers to understand the routes into an apprenticeship and we are explaining how the traineeship scheme has created more than 100 job opportunities in the engineering sector in the Humber area over the last 18 months.

GMB supports the work HETA are doing through their traineeship programme to enable young people to gain employment in high quality engineering apprenticeships. It is hoped that employers will take the opportunity to come along to this event and see how this programme can fit into their future recruitment strategy.

GMB is attracted by HETA's strong links with education and employers throughout the Humber region, and by a traineeship programme which places great emphasis on ensuring young people are 'work ready.

We didn't realise how far HETA is down the road with traineeships. We are telling employers about the opportunities at HETA, which puts people through a very robust programme and produces people who are work ready with less risk.

We are trying to convince employers that the idea of dealing with shortages through agencies is not the way to go. When people get to the end of a HETA programme we know they are competent to do the job.'

Ian Elliott, HETA Chief Executive, said: 'Our partnership with GMB is designed to help to get across the message that training is not something which business do to their employees. It is a collaborative approach. The individuals become better trained and better skilled and the employers have a better workforce.

We will encourage any kind of initiative that gets more people into apprenticeships and gives them the skills to get into sustainable employment, and this is a win-win-win for the union, the employees and the employers.

We look forward to working with GMB in the future on other initiatives, promoting apprenticeships and also our traineeship scheme. GMB see that as a possible exemplar of best practice - how to engage young people and get them started on the traineeship into and apprentice pathway.'

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Contact: Craig Stuart on 07966 327976 or 01482 218 018 or GMB press office 07921 289880 or 07974 251 823