Faced with the challenge of recruiting 500 new hands-on roles within our business over the next four years, the ADI Group not only wanted, but needed to inspire the next set of engineers to take up full-time apprenticeships at the age of 16.
More than halfway through its pilot year, the success of our pre-apprenticeship scheme has intensified ADI’s vision for the model to be adopted by businesses not just in engineering, but in all other business sectors across the UK as well. Ultimately, ADI’s vision is to reach out to thousands of children via networking like-minded schools and businesses to interact with each other.
Some 12 male and female secondary school students are currently enrolled in the ADI pre-apprenticeship scheme, with another intake of 12 expected in September. Since 30 per cent of the pupils on the scheme are female, the group hopes to inspire more women to enter a career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem), in which only 9 per cent of the UK’s engineering workforce are female.
The pre-apprentices attend ADI Group’s live workshop for half a day each week. Running alongside their GCSE education, the course occupies 10 per cent of the students’ overall curriculum time, and is the ideal stepping stone to a full-time engineering apprenticeship.
Through the programme, the pre-apprentices learn the practical, hands-on skills needed to carve a career in either mechanical or electrical engineering. These include welding, basic wiring, health and safety and reading technical drawings. Our highly-qualified engineers drive the mentoring program, which takes place in a live working environment at ADI’s workshops in Birmingham.
‘A unique opportunity’
At the end of each session, the pre-apprentices come away with vital engineering skills that pave the way to taking up a full-time apprenticeship at 16. They have the unique opportunity to experience the feeling of fulfilment and pride from seeing the relevance of their work, with the knowledge they made it themselves.
The students love doing something a little different every week, and it really shows in their enthusiasm. It’s incredible how a scheme that’s relatively simple to implement can have an enormous impact on young minds. We really feel we’re making a difference to our workforce and that of others, but the ultimate proof will be how many students we can inspire to progress into a full-time apprenticeship.
Recently, chancellor Philip Hammond’s 2017 budget announced an initiative for 16 to 19-year-old technical students to prevent Britain from “languishing at the bottom” of the international league table for Stem education. It’s for this reason that the need for more apprentices to help close the skills gap is currently at its most relevant.
ADI Group is in full support of the government providing an additional £500 million a year for 16 to 19-year-old technical students and introducing maintenance loans for higher level qualifications. Businesses and schools have a responsibility to tackle the nationwide deficit in high-quality apprenticeships.
The ADI pre-apprenticeship model is available free of charge for any school or employer wishing to introduce a similar scheme. Implementation is straightforward and any sector, whether in industry or professional services, can benefit - encouraging younger generations to try something new, learn core skills and engage in the workplace while still at school.
Alan Lusty is CEO of ADI Group. For more information on pre-apprenticeships, click here
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