Design academy secures steelwork specialist's support
A new Telford training academy for the construction and engineering sectors has welcomed the latest company to sign up to its dedicated apprenticeship programme, which is set to officially launch next month.
The TDS Academy has joined forces with Cambridgeshire steelwork specialists Crofton Engineering Ltd to offer one of its employees the opportunity to take up a place on the scheme, which gives apprentices the chance to learn the latest Computer Aided Design (CAD) techniques through a combination of study and practical, on-the-job learning.
The brainchild of TDS Midlands, a CAD specialist for the steel and metalwork sector, The TDS Academy’s new training programme has been launched specifically to help tackle a growing shortage of available skilled design engineers, a problem Crofton Engineering has encountered first-hand.
“Over the years we have found it almost impossible to recruit design detail draughtsmen of sufficient calibre,” Merrie Mannassi, Managing Director of Crofton Engineering, explained. “This programme is a great way of changing this, as it has been developed by people from inside our industry, who actually understand what is needed both academically and in the workplace.
“Apprenticeships are a fantastic starting point for a career in the construction and engineering sector, in fact it was a route a number of our senior staff, including Director Glen Godfrey, our Construction Manager, and our Project Engineer, took. And in such challenging economic circumstances as we currently face, it is also a way for us as a company to give youngsters an opportunity to get practical work experience at the same time as gaining qualifications that will stand them in good stead for the future.”
Declan McDonnell, Director of The TDS Academy, commented: “Crofton Engineering joins a growing number of companies from across the UK enrolling their employees in the inaugural intake of this ground-breaking initiative. We’ve got a broad range of engineering firms from as far afield as Shropshire, Scotland, Essex, Lancashire, and now Cambridgeshire all fully-committed to the scheme, and we’re looking forward to working with them to help develop the next generation of design engineers.
“Each apprentice will obtain top class vocational training from experts within the industry, and get to work on real design projects that require solutions to real challenges. As well as giving the apprentice all the necessary tools to pave the way for a successful career in design engineering, the employers will also benefit from a better-skilled workforce.”
The apprenticeship programme will be run from The TDS Academy’s base in Telford and each trainee who successfully completes the scheme will obtain an ECITB Level Three Diploma in Engineering Construction Design and Drafting, along with a BTEC Level Three Diploma in Operations and Maintenance Engineering – the equivalent of two A Levels.
