Staffordshire firm Capula is working with Staffordshire University’s to combat a national skills shortage and ‘grow its own’ engineers.
Steve Tellwright celebrating graduation with Capula apprentice Paul
There’s a huge shortage of engineers in the UK and so we see apprentices as a means of growing our own in partnership with our friends at Staffordshire University.
Staffordshire firm Capula is working with Staffordshire University’s to combat a national skills shortage and ‘grow its own’ engineers.
As part of activity to mark National Apprenticeship Week, the company’s HR Director Steve Tellwright will be among speakers at Staffordshire University’s Business Breakfast which aims to signpost businesses to apprenticeship programmes and other funded schemes.
Head of Employer Partnerships and Apprenticeships, Marek Hornak said: “In the last three years Staffordshire University has secured over £2 million of funding and support for businesses. Many employers, like Capula, are already feeling the benefit of apprenticeships and the Business Breakfast is an opportunity to find out about how to upskill your workforce and attract new talent.
“It's also an opportunity to hear about the flexible design and delivery of our higher and degree apprenticeships and our plans to work with employers to drive up the number of skilled apprentices in the region to 6500 by 2030."
Stone-based Capula currently employ 24 apprentices which make up almost 10 per cent of their total workforce. The majority are higher apprentices who are studying towards degrees in Engineering and Computer Science.
Steve said: “There’s a huge shortage of engineers in the UK and so we see apprentices as a means of growing our own in partnership with our friends at Staffordshire University.”
““The benefits are threefold. Firstly, we are addressing the national shortage of engineers by developing our own capability and secondly these young people think differently and the result is good flow of ideas and innovation. Thirdly, as a good local business, we want to take on on local people to provide meaningful employment whilst raising their education levels. This is good for our business as the apprentice has a good connection with the business and this really helps to increase retention.”.”
More than 50 employers are already booked on to the Business Breakfast which takes place between 8am – 10.30am next Wednesday 6 March in the Science Centre.