Mitsubishi launches ac apprenticeships

UK: Mitsubishi Electric has announced the launch of a new, national apprenticeship scheme to train the air conditioning engineers of the future.

The scheme is being run in conjunction with 24 of the company’s air conditioning contractor partners across the country.

“As this is the first year of our new National Apprenticeship Programme, we will be recruiting around 35 apprentices and with our partners, this will cover almost the whole of the UK, from Glasgow to Southampton,” explained Steve Hayward Technical Services and After Sales Manager.

The partners include Servio (Basingtoke), Capitol Engineering Services (Surbiton), Watford Refrigeration & Air Conditioning (Watford), Crowther & Shaw (Huddersfield), NDS Mechanical (London), Doc Building Facilities (Maidenhead), Oxford Refrigeration (Oxford), Orbital Cooling Solutions (Potters Bar), Coolair Equipment (Dukinfield), Sustainability Inc (Manchester), Working Environments (Southampton) and Bry-Kol (Stoke-on-Trent).

The company plans to recruit even more partners to increase the number and help ensure the programme continues to bring new blood into the industry.

Skills and enterprise minister Matthew Hancock said: “We want it to be the new norm for young people to choose to either go to university or begin an apprenticeship. So it’s great that Mitsubishi Electric has announced these new aApprenticeship vacancies. I would encourage other employers to follow Mitsubishi Electric’s lead and use apprenticeships as an opportunity to grow their own talent and improve the skills base of their workforce.

The scheme which is being co-ordinated by Building Engineering Services Training Ltd (BEST) with the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) and all organisations will be focused on outbound communications to raise awareness of the apprenticeships roles that the scheme offers to school leavers.

“We are delighted to work on a national scale with such a significant industry player as Mitsubishi Electric,” commented Steve Leighton, chief operations officer for BEST.  “The response from Mitsubishi Electric’s partners has been superb and these companies recognise the value that a skilled, qualified workforce adds to their business.”

Anyone interested in participating in Mitsubishi’s apprenticeship programme should visit the vacancies section at http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/ and search using the keyword “Mitsubishi” and their location to find opportunities in their area.