Apprentices key to firm's future

The company, which is a market leader in the provision of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, has recently taken on a further 10 apprentices.

And it has seen a steady flow of high achievers – many of whom decide to carry on with their education even after the apprenticeship scheme has finished.

HR manager Angela Barrett saidf: "Weatherite is proud of its Black Country origins and, in addition to employing over 150 people at its site in West Bromwich, has taken a positive role in the local community for well over 40 years, so it seems a natural progression to develop relationships with local schools and colleges and to encourage pupils to pursue a career in engineering.

"Many of the pupils we see don't have a natural aptitude for what you would term traditional academic subjects, but if they can prove they have the right attitude and a willingness to learn 'on the job' we have proved time and time again that we can help them become high achievers- in an exciting, expanding and dynamic industry."

Weatherite admits that its recruitment policy doesn't always find the perfect candidate, but is proud of the success rate of well over 80% of their apprentices finishing the scheme and gaining a qualification. And the story doesn't end there – having achieved their apprenticeship, many choose to progress even further by enrolling on part-time courses, with Weatherite more than happy to sponsor and support them in their studies. Weatherite is keen to emphasise that an apprenticeship is not an end in itself, but a springboard to continuous advancement and a long term future with the company."

Angela added: "In some respects you would place Weatherite firmly in the tradition of West Midlands manufacturing industries, but as with so many companies in the area, that generalisation hides the fact that we are one of the UK leaders in a dynamic and technologically advanced market sector.

"In fact, it could be argued that Weatherite's apprentices are not just contributing to the local economy, but also playing their small part in helping to save the planet as we develop new technologies and solutions.

"One of the ways that we try to inspire apprentices is to put their work in context by explaining the importance of their role, not just in terms their immediate workmates, but also in the wider picture: For example, our range of innovative products for the telecoms industry controls the temperature in mobile phone base stations (which is absolutely critical to them functioning properly) – so they are doing their little bit to ensure that the country's communications run smoothly, while on the largest possible scale Weatherite are market leaders in developing ever more energy efficient air conditioning products for offices, retail outlets and data centres – helping their customers to achieve their own sustainability targets …so in a small way they really are helping to save the planet."

Weatherite Group is privately owned by the Whitehouse family and John Whitehouse, the Weatherite group chairman who started the business 43 years ago, was born and bred in the Black Country. Having started the business over 43 years ago John is committed to giving young, local, aspiring engineers a chance.