Sheffield Forgemasters has given a warm welcome to its new apprentices at its Brightside Lane site.
The company, which provides crucial components for the UK defence programme, has embarked on a recapitalisation programme with up to £400 million to be invested over ten years and key changes already taking place across the 64-acre site.
The origins of Sheffield Forgemasters date back to the 1750s as a small blacksmith forge. Since then the company has been associated with many famous steel industry names such as English Steel, Firth Brown, British Steel and River Don Castings.
Sheffield Forgemasters is now capable of producing the largest and most technically challenging cast and forged steel components in the world.
The company, which has won awards for its comprehensive approach to apprenticeships, has already recruited 15 new apprentices, all of whom will receive fully funded training, working towards a professional qualification whilst getting paid.
The positions, across a wide range of disciplines, were filled during the summer and include roles ranging from Accounts, Project Management, Moulder/Coremaking, Patternmaking, Steel Production, Machining, Metallurgy (Degree Apprenticeship) and Mechatronics, but this is the first time they have been assembled on site after terms at college.
Rick Franckeiss, learning and development manager at Sheffield Forgemasters, said:
“I am delighted to welcome Sheffield Forgemasters’ newest group of apprentices together on our site and look forward to seeing their development alongside our £400 million investment programme.
“This is very positive time in the company and it offers significant career development for our apprentices as we adopt the latest technologies and shift to Industry 4.0 manufacturing to deliver one of the country’s most advanced manufacturing businesses.
“I’d urge any potential future apprenticeship applicants to visit the Careers page on the Sheffield Forgemasters website in the first instance, where our forthcoming apprenticeship opportunities will be advertised.”
Sheffield Forgemasters is a major employer in the Sheffield City Region, with 600 employees and an apprenticeships programme which makes up around ten per cent of its workforce at any one time.
Rick added:
“Most of our apprentices remain with the company and many go on to further education after initial training, due to our continued investment in the development of our people.
“We consider apprentices to be the future leaders of the business and can proudly boast that our chief operating officer and board director, Gareth Barker, started out at Sheffield Forgemasters as an apprentice and worked his way up through the company to one of the most senior positions.”
Photo: The apprentices. Photo credit: Sheffield Forgemasters
Sheffield Forgemasters is a state owned company. Any true conservative would be calling for the application of free market priniciples and for the privatization of all nataionalized companies.
Margaret Thatcher would be turning in her grave at the left wing policies of this so called “conservative” (in name only) government led by an idol worshiping Hindu.