By Mark Toole Jnr, NS Training Manager at Telent Technology Services Ltd
Every summer, pupils from across the UK find out their A Level and GCSE grades, resulting in young people everywhere having the same trending thought cross their minds: how am I going to start my career?
Here at Telent we see apprenticeships as a viable alternative to university and sixth form with research from the Sutton Trust also finding that apprentices earn on average more than £100,000 more throughout their lifetime than other employees.
Apprenticeships really do offer a great career opportunity; they are an excellent way of gaining those industry-recognised qualifications and real-life work experience, giving you the opportunity to ‘earn as you learn’, whilst gaining real practical skills. At Telent, we realise the importance of getting started on the right foot and are proud to offer several apprenticeship schemes across our businesses. Young people give our business fresh perspectives and ideas, often coming up with new, problem-solving solutions that even industry experts may not have thought of. They’re keen to learn and are a very viable solution to closing the skills gap. After all, how can we expect to be leaders in future technology if we aren’t employing the future generation?
Exchange
This August, three of our apprentices flew over to Backnang, Germany for two weeks at Telent GmbH, the German Internet of Things specialist, and subsidiary of the euromicron AG group. The exchange sees us send our apprentices out into the field to not only meet different project teams across the business, but to also experience first-hand what it is like working in this sector in another country with a different culture. In return, we had the pleasure of hosting three of the German apprentices for two weeks to enjoy the same experiences.
The apprentices spend their fortnight carrying out the same roles they would if they were working in the UK, but with the bonus of meeting German engineers and customers. This is a great chance for them to compare and experience different working practices and projects, which will only enhance their skills and competencies, building on their knowledge and furthering their career development.
However, it’s not all work and no play. The apprentices are also given the chance to experience social and cultural activities in the country. This year, the group visited the Technik Museum in Speyer, to discover the amazing engineering history of the country and even had the chance to watch a fast-paced football game in Frankfurt.