Siemens today celebrated the success of its latest crop of apprentices at its Annual Apprenticeship Awards ceremony at St James Park in Newcastle. The awards, now in their third year, celebrate the completion of the three-year Siemens Energy Service apprenticeship programme by all 16 apprentices within the Energy Service business in Newcastle, with certificate presentations to all and special awards for Apprentice of the Year and Best Improver. Apprenticeships form an important part of Siemens approach to skills and training, to help develop the next generation of engineering talent. The awards acknowledge this.
Apprenticeships bring considerable value to organisations, employers, individuals and the economy, by developing a highly skilled workforce, boosting productivity and promoting staff retention. They are also key to helping bridge the skills gap. As Mike Jones, HR director for Siemens Energy UK said: “The UK faces a significant challenge in meeting the engineering skills gap. In the energy sector alone, the country has challenging targets to meet over the next ten years in developing a low carbon economy. A broad based approach is required to meet this on the part of government and employers. Vocational education, such as apprenticeships are a key part of the required skills landscape. Siemens is at the forefront of this, through its apprenticeship programmes and involvement in initiatives such as the World Skills Council.”
Siemens, a leading engineering employer in the UK is a major investor in skills and training in the UK and has a longstanding and highly successful apprenticeship scheme. Siemens currently has over 100 apprentices, and this year has created around 90 more across its three main businesses of Energy, Industry and Healthcare in the UK. Of these, 66 are in the Energy Sector, and a quarter of these are based in the Energy Service business in Newcastle, which is hosting the awards today.
Graham Hartley, director at Siemens Energy Service presented the award for Apprentice of the Year to Liam Hunter and the Best Improver to Anthony Shiotani said: “Siemens is very proud of its apprenticeship programme here in the North East. We are one of the largest employers in the region and have a strong tradition of investment in training. Our apprentices are trained here in our dedicated Integrated Energy Service Training Centre, which provides first class training and represents a very significant investment. Today, we celebrate the success of all our apprentices, as well as the Energy Service team in Newcastle who have guaranteed the programme’s success.”
The apprenticeship programme combines structured on-the-job training with technical instruction during which apprentices gain practical experience in areas such as machining, fitting and winding. Specialist technical courses are also delivered by Tyne Metropolitan College. After their first 18 months or two years, apprentices can decide whether to gain experience of working on site with the Field Service team or in the Service Facility at Newcastle.
Of the apprentices who begin the Siemens programme, 96% complete it compared with a national average of 68%, a testimony to the high quality training, organisation and support provided by the apprenticeship training team in Newcastle.
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About Siemens in the UK
Siemens was established in the United Kingdom 168 years ago and now employs around 16,000 people in the UK. Last year’s revenues were £4.1 billion. As a leading global engineering and technology services company, Siemens provides innovative solutions to help tackle the world’s major challenges, across the key sectors of energy, industry and healthcare. Siemens has offices and factories throughout the UK, with its headquarters in Frimley, Surrey. The company’s global headquarters is in Munich, Germany. For more information, visit www.siemens.co.uk
For more information, contact:
Rachel Odams
PR Manager
Siemens plc
Tel. +44 (0)1276 690782
Mob: +44 (0)7808 824209
Rachel.odams@siemens.com
