Fläkt Woods invests in the future

UK: Fläkt Woods now has 11 young people under formal training at its plant in Colchester, following the recent addition of four more apprentices.

The ventilation company’s apprenticeship scheme has been running for many years and is seen as a vital element in the company’s progression. Out of 310 current employees a total of 46 – with a combined total of 946 years service – have passed through the scheme.

“The apprenticeship scheme is very important to Fläkt Woods and enables the company to provide training and development to the apprentices utilising the in-house expertise of ex-apprentices and other staff to ensure that this knowledge is transferred,” commented Fläkt Woods’ HR director Helen Gilfillan. 

“The apprentices will spend a few months within each department, such as shop-floor, manufacturing services support, sales, purchasing, IT and quality to name a few, which gives them a unique opportunity of providing an insight into the overall organisation,” she added.

And its successes are being recognised: employee Alex Moore recently won the 2015 Apprentice of the Year at the Essex Countywide Business Awards.

“Within the HR department we are able to compile training plans that incorporate vocational training, on-the-job training and day release with the support of the Colchester Institute to complete their formal qualification,” explained Helen Gilfillan. “The objective is to ascertain what areas they excel in to try and provide suitable permanent employment at the end of the scheme. It also assists the organisation with ongoing succession planning’.