Forgemasters takes on new talent

SHEFFIELD Forgemasters has taken on a new batch of apprentices to add to its specialist engineering workforce.

Through its apprenticeship scheme, the firm will train 68 apprentices over the coming year, the majority in their second and third years but 17 of which are new school and college graduates studying for specialist careers and roles in all departments across the 64-acre Brightside Lane site.

This year more than 200 people applied for 17 vacancies.

Sixteen-year-old Liam Deakin from Swinton said: “I am really interested in learning new skills in a great working environment to provide me with a financially secure future.”

Chief executive Graham Honeyman added: “We offer our apprentices a great opportunity to pursue rewarding careers with a forward thinking company that they may not have otherwise had the opportunity to embrace.

“Over the years, we have raised the profile of engineering as an important career choice. Consequently, we have huge interest and the calibre of students coming to serve apprenticeships at Forgemasters is rising every year.”

This year SFIL scooped the top prize of Large Employer of the Year at the National Apprenticeship Awards 2011 and for the first time featured in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers list in England.

Mr Honeyman added: “Apprenticeships are vital to our future success. I believe that investing in the skills and knowledge of the workforce through apprenticeships helps us gain a competitive advantage in tough markets.

“We are committed to the ongoing development of all our apprentices and support them through every stage. They are encouraged to progress to whatever level they can achieve, including higher education and post graduate degrees.”