Fred Pope Engineering
Fred Pope Engineering Services Ltd are based in Swanage, Dorset and specialise in producing high quality machined and fabricated items in a range of metals.
They work in many sectors including construction, medical, defence, restoration and sport offering services including CNC milling and CNC turning, reverse engineering, project and product development.
Objective
Fred Pope Engineering Services Ltd wanted to expand their workforce and decided to explore Apprenticeship Solutions as a way to do this. The company were keen to train people rather than bringing in a workforce that may have had some experience.
Solution
The company had never taken on apprentices before but decided that they were the route to go. The College worked with Fred Pope Engineering Service Ltd to set-up their Apprenticeship programme and to then to deliver the training for their two apprentices.
The two apprentices attended The College one day each week to get a solid grounding in engineering, including learning basic machining and key topics such as Health and Safety and Legislation. For the remaining four days they trained their apprentices in the real work environment, to their standards. It meant the apprentices were exposed to real situations and real problems.
The two apprentices attended The College one day each week to get a solid grounding in engineering, including learning basic machining and key topics such as Health and Safety and Legislation. For the remaining four days they trained their apprentices in the real work environment, to their standards. It meant the apprentices were exposed to real situations and real problems.
Results
Apprenticeships have allowed Fred Pope Engineering Services Ltd to increase their skills base and to employ two very good young people giving them the opportunity to develop into excellent engineers. That’s added depth to the company as a whole, as a team and for their skills base which has given them a new dimension to their business.
The apprentices have shown a real commitment and at least one will continue onto the Higher National Certificate providing an opportunity to recruit new apprentices in the future.
The apprentices have shown a real commitment and at least one will continue onto the Higher National Certificate providing an opportunity to recruit new apprentices in the future.
Employer View
“Apprenticeships have allowed us to give something back. It would have been very easy to employ someone and simply show them what to do, but knowing that these apprentices were getting a qualification, it was a more rounded approach. It enables them to move on in the future because they have the qualification behind them.
Apprenticeships are a two-way thing. If you’re looking for low cost employment option there are other ways of doing that.
If you want to further your company and grow it, and also offer genuine opportunities in your industry, then Apprenticeships are the way to do it.”