"Bigger and better incentives" are needed to combat skills shortage says JPG director

“WE need bigger and better incentives to take on apprentices,” said Matthew Potter, director at Leeds-based JPG Group, “we take them on at JPG because we know they can be successful, I know that because I have been there every step of the way.”

JPG are the unsung partners behind some of the many of the region’s biggest commercial and industrial buildings, incuding the £92m manufacturing facility for Haribo and Mr Potter is the director that rose through the ranks after starting as an apprentice himself.

With 40 staff in Leeds and 10 in Oman and the imminent opening of a London office, JPG has managed to grow its turnover by more than 10% year on year for the past 5 years, reaching £2.5m.

Despite their successes, the firm is realistic about the problems facing their sector, including skills shortages and growing costs.

Director Matthew Potter has had direct experience of how engineering firms can combat the skills shortages affecting the whole construction industry.

Mr Potter started at JPG in 1988 on their youth training scheme, and attended Leeds Metropolitan University and Leeds College of Building for four years to complete his training whilst gaining practical on the job experience.

He says he wants to highlight the climb up the career ladder to director level, after he went from an apprentice, to an associate in 2003, before being made a director of JPG in 2008.

Mr Potter said: “I certainly would recommend this route, we have apprentices in the practice that have been really successful. By going down this route it is still possible to obtain a masters degree.

“You get a hands-on approach to engineering with the added back up of experienced staff who are always more than willing to assist and share their knowledge.

“As careers evolve, there is not always a noticeable difference between apprentice and graduate route staff, as their abilities tend to level out as experience is gained.

Mr Potter did acknowledge that “at the moment it is tough to recruit the right staff. Everyone seems to be after the same high calibre candidates and since the recession engineers and technicians with the necessary skill sets are in short supply.

“The problem with structural engineering is that it does not get promoted as a career choice, so very few people outside the construction industry knows what a structural engineer actually does.

“One of the biggest challenges is keeping up with the latest technology and changes in legislation across the many fields we cover. In order to stay ahead of the game, we invest heavily in advancing technology and training.”

Mr Potter said: “These issues do not put us off, but the challenge is finding the time we need to make the critical investment. We have to make the time collectively.

“Some members of our team will need more guidance than others. My lesson learned is that when you are young you have to show a willingness to listen, learn, work hard and really push yourself.”