Academy to plug skills gap
One of Cannock's leading engineering companies is plugging the skills gap by setting up its own £700,000 training academy to develop the engineers of the future. One of Cannock's leading engineering companies is plugging the skills gap by setting up its own £700,000 training academy to develop the engineers of the future. Finning UK, is the sole UK distributor of the world-famous Caterpillar construction and engineering equipment. Tomorrow it will unveil its new training academy at its headquarters on the A5. The purpose-built facility is designed to provide budding young engineers with bespoke training programmes in plant repair and maintenance covering all Caterpillar products. In its first year 19 apprentices are to benefit from the Finning Academy. One of the apprentices is 18-year-old Cheryl Sanders, from Cheslyn Hay. She said: "I've worked at Finning for two years and I'm really getting on well. "I've already got an NVQ Level 2 and, after I finish my apprenticeship, I want to get a couple more years on the shop floor under my belt before maybe moving into product support where I'm developing customer relations skills with clients. "I've wanted to go into engineering since I did work experience in a garage when I was 16. I know some people think it's an unusual career for a young woman but I've never thought about it, really. In the end, it's about how hard you work and the skills you have and I'm really pleased with the way I'm learning." Read the full story in the Express & Star.
One of Cannock's leading engineering companies is plugging the skills gap by setting up its own £700,000 training academy to develop the engineers of the future.
Finning UK, is the sole UK distributor of the world-famous Caterpillar construction and engineering equipment. Tomorrow it will unveil its new training academy at its headquarters on the A5. The purpose-built facility is designed to provide budding young engineers with bespoke training programmes in plant repair and maintenance covering all Caterpillar products.
In its first year 19 apprentices are to benefit from the Finning Academy. One of the apprentices is 18-year-old Cheryl Sanders, from Cheslyn Hay. She said: "I've worked at Finning for two years and I'm really getting on well.
"I've already got an NVQ Level 2 and, after I finish my apprenticeship, I want to get a couple more years on the shop floor under my belt before maybe moving into product support where I'm developing customer relations skills with clients.
"I've wanted to go into engineering since I did work experience in a garage when I was 16. I know some people think it's an unusual career for a young woman but I've never thought about it, really. In the end, it's about how hard you work and the skills you have and I'm really pleased with the way I'm learning."
Chris Osborne, aged 16 and also from Cheslyn Hay, said: "I did quite well in my GCSEs but I knew I didn't want to stay on and do A levels. I wanted to start working and developing real life skills – not to mention have a bit of money in my pocket.
"I knew I wanted to do something practical and so I applied for an apprenticeship at Finning – they have a good reputation for training and the opening of the new academy improves the facilities even further."
Service training manager Paul Lawson said: "We've always taken apprentices here, from not long after the facility opened in the 1960s.
"With the skills shortages we are experiencing today, we have found it difficult to recruit young engineers so we decided to overhaul our existing apprenticeship programme. The new training framework will take three years instead of four and is now all in-house."
