At Langstone Engineering and our sister company Precision Technologies (PTI), there’s been an extra special celebration to mark National Apprenticeship Week.

Apprentices from both companies joined a ‘Skills for Life’ forum with senior members of the management team to share their experiences of their apprenticeships, the skills they are developing and what’s ahead in the future.  Two employees who are studying for HNC following completion of their apprenticeship also joined the meeting and shared valuable advice with the current apprentices as well as talking about skills they have gained and hope to build upon in the future.  

There are currently 13 apprentices at two precision engineering companies within the Precision Engineering Solutions Group and it’s part of the Group’s commitment to investing in training and development for all employees, says James Nicklin, Group Managing Director. 12 apprenticeships are in engineering and one of the apprentices is in the finance side of the business.

“We operate in a highly skilled and fast-paced industry, using technology and equipment that’s constantly evolving and it’s essential that we support and invest in all employees at every level so we can all succeed. Our apprentices are the engineers of the future and we’re committed to helping them achieve.  We’re impressed every day by their dedication, determination and willingness to go further and we wanted to use this week to celebrate that,” he said.

Group HR Manager Faye Norris, led the session and she said:

“This forum was a first for us and it was really useful to have feedback so that we can plan more ways to support their development of skills and knowledge for a rewarding career ahead. They are a vital part of our ongoing programme to develop a talented workforce that’s fully equipped with skills for the future.”  

During the session, the apprentices were given the opportunity to talk about the most useful skills they have learned, offer advice for others considering an apprenticeship and what skills they would like to develop.

The apprentices also heard words of encouragement in feedback from their line managers during the session. Including

• • “He has shown tenacity in taking on one of the most complex machining processes on site.

  •  “She is able to program and operate a CNC CMM without support delivering complex component quality reports to customer requirements.”

  •  “His attitude and willingness to learn and positive nature has allowed him to support other personnel on a variety of projects. This is appreciated by the colleagues he works with.”

  • “He is gaining skills to be able to confidently program and manufacture components on equipment that he had no experience with before joining us.”

If you’re reading this and would like to find out more about an apprenticeship and career opportunities with PTI at Tamworth or Langstone Engineering in Portsmouth, please send an email with the subject ‘Apprenticeship’ to recruitment@ptiltd.co.uk and we’ll be in touch.