Ladder for Staffordshire: Record intake of apprentices

IAE, which is based on a 38-acre purpose-built site in Stoke-on-Trent, has taken on the 21 apprentices across six different programmes including engineering,administration, health and safety and management.

The first cohort of 11 engineering apprentices are set to go through IAE’s new apprenticeship development centre, and the company also uses a new, onsite training provider called Train’d Up.

Chris Morris, learning and development manager at IAE, said: “We have been impressed with the quality of employees that have resulted from our apprenticeship programmes.

“We believe that the apprenticeship route is a great way to address skills shortages and as a result we have been steadily increasing our recruitment levels of apprentices.

“The 21 apprentices we’re taking on across 2023 will be IAE’s largest annual intake to date and, along with our new Apprenticeship Development Centre and onsite training provider called Train’d Up, this underlines our commitment to training and staff development.”

Chris is also sub-regional chair of the Stoke and Staffordshire Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network which is part of the West Midlands Apprenticeship Ambassador Network, who are a group of employers committed to promoting apprenticeships to bridge the skills gap.

He added: “We are particularly pleased that seven of the latest apprentices are joining us straight from school, with six of them recruited from the local school.”

Kevin Davis, chairman of the Staffordshire Ladder, which promotes apprenticeships across the county of Staffordshire and the West Midlands region, said: “There are tremendous things taking place at IAE.

“This is an excellent example of how an employer has integrated apprenticeships into their business.

“The company is committed to apprenticeships, both in terms of rising recruitment levels but also in the support apprentices receive through robust processes in place at the company.”