Engineering apprentices get European experience
Young engineers from the Black Country got the chance to outline what real work experience abroad was like when West Midlands MEP Phil Bennion met them.
The engineering apprentices, who trained at Doosan Babcock Ltd in Tipton, recently returned from a 10-day work experience trip to Germany and Poland.
A group of 16 apprentices were posted out to Poland and another 16 to Germany where they got first-hand experience working on major engineering projects.
Training experts BCTG, based in Oldbury, took the apprentices on the work experience programme to Hohenthurm, near Liepzig, Germany and Rybnik, in Poland.
The apprentices, who are being trained in project control, welding, pipe-fitting and rig-erecting on major nuclear and coal-fired power station schemes, worked alongside their European counterparts at Doosan Babcock Energy Polska and Doosan Babcock Energy Germany.
Lib Dem MEP Phil Bennion, who sits on the committee for employment and social affairs, heard why the trip, funded through the European Union's Lifelong Learning Programme, was so successful.
Billy Meldrum, Doosan Babcock training manager, said: "This opportunity was a huge confidence boost for our engineering apprentices who were put to work on major projects almost as soon as they arrived at their host employers.
"What became apparent is how quickly they were able to integrate and start work regardless of the language barrier and how impressed our hosts were at the skill and discipline of our apprentices."
Phil Bennion added: "It is very helpful to hear first hand from apprentices about the value of this work experience scheme. Over the last 20 years the UK has neglected non-university skills apprenticeships while Germany has a very strong apprenticeship programme.
"We need to persuade more companies to start apprenticeship schemes. You realise we are just as good as they are in Germany but they have greater numbers of apprentices."
The EU programme funds practical projects in the field of vocational education and enables young people to train in another country in their chosen sector.
Chris Luty, BCTG managing director, added: "The visit forged good links and it is something we will look to do again in the future if funding becomes available."
