February 2011

Apprentices Get Fired Up

Stourbridge College’s Energy Training Centre recently won a contract to train apprentices from all over the country on behalf of Worcester, Bosch Group, the UK’s leading domestic heating and hot water system manufacturer – and they’re all fired up for a career in the gas industry.

Fifteen apprentices were chosen from a short list of over 300, with Stourbridge College driving forward the interview process by putting the candidates through key skills and practical assessments. All fifteen are now studying Level 3 Gas Maintenance at the Energy Training Centre in Kingswinford.

The apprentices are aged between and 18 and 33, proving that apprenticeships can cover a range of age groups, not just school leavers – and they can suit both men and women!

Kevin Stevens, Director at the Energy Training Centre based in Kingswinford, said: “We offer a full range of training at the Energy Training Centre including gas, electric and plumbing courses – and we’ve recently been selected as a regional hub for the National Skills Academy for Environmental Technologies. Employer links with good, quality training providers are vital to ensuring that the industry has an experienced and qualified workforce and it’s great to have a market leader like Worcester, Bosch Group on board.”

Ian Cockett, Director of Service for Worcester, Bosch Group said: “We are committed to developing the next generation of heating engineers and see the Kingswinford centre as an ideal venue to do just that. The centre will be equipped with our latest products, which will give the apprentices a great platform on which to build their careers.”

Jane Re-Ignites Her Career In The Gas Industry

Jane Davenport, 33, re-ignited her career when she switched from electric to gas after being made redundant. She started in the industry as a gas apprentice working for eon but was made redundant when the economy started to flounder a few years ago. She was transferred to electric meter servicing but was so fired up about a career in gas she continued to look for ways to get back into the industry.

She said: “I didn’t enjoy electric meter servicing as much but knew I would struggle to finance extra gas training myself. When the Worcester, Bosch Group apprenticeship scheme came up I saw it as an excellent opportunity to work and train with a large reputable company. Apprenticeships are a great way to learn, not only do our course fees get paid, we get paid to learn which is a bonus!”

When she’s qualified as a Service and Breakdown Engineer she will relocate to Mid Wales. The Level 3 Gas Maintenance course involves a bit of theory work, a classroom based workshop for two weeks and apprentices shadow a qualified engineer to learn the job hands on.

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