As part of its commitment to training and development, Howorth Air Technology has recently taken on two more apprentices, Luke Bower and Ryan Grice. They join senior apprentice, Cory Clark, who has been with the company for three years.
After a rigorous interview procedure Bower and Grice were selected from 10 original applicants and invited to spend a day on the shop floor, participating in various electrical and mechanical activities. Initially, Howorth only planned to offer one apprenticeship, but the standard was so high that it was decided to ask both to join the company.
During their apprenticeship, Bower and Grice will be given the chance to participate in all areas and at all levels within Howorth, experiencing practical work on the shop floor and office-based work such as design, accountancy, sales and marketing. They will also attend college one day a week to continue their academic studies.
The apprenticeship will take four years to complete, during which time they will be subject to regular progress reviews conducted by the Salford and Trafford Engineering Group Training Association (STEGTA) and Howorth. Depending on their chosen career path, they will be able to achieve NVQ levels 2 and 3, ONC and HNC.
Howorth’s apprenticeship scheme is provided by STEGTA, which was established in 1966 to act as the central training department for a small number of engineering companies in the Salford area. Over the last 40+ years, it has grown substantially and now attends to the training needs of hundreds of companies throughout Greater Manchester and the surrounding areas. Jim Liptrot, operations director at Howorth, is a director of STEGTA and, as such, believes that an apprenticeship gives young people a valuable opportunity to continue their education whilst at the same time earning a living and developing a long term career option.
“The board of Howorth is totally dedicated to providing ongoing development opportunities to all, and that starts with local students,” he says. “Howorth will continue to be an active member of STEGTA, with a commitment to training the engineers and associated workers of the future.”