There’s no better feeling than being able to support and direct someone on the road to employment – and ultimately a career.
It’s the most satisfying part of the job, according to Amanda Robertshaw, who is clearly relishing her role as employment engagement officer at Brighouse-based Kirkdale Industrial Training Services (KITS).
Her work involves matching employers to apprentices who are studying mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, fabrication and motor vehicle at KITS’ Armytage Road site.
KITS recruits 100 apprentices every year – and as they embark on their three-year courses, Amanda is busy seeking employers who can commit to supporting them and – in an ideal world – offering them a full-time job when they qualify with a trade.
“The most satisfying thing is matching up apprentices and telling them they will be taken on,” says Amanda. “From the apprentices walking initially through the door to ultimately the assessments they need to undertake to see if they are suitable for the programme and helping with their interview technique, I am working with them all the time.”
Amanda is acutely conscious of the difficulties young people face in trying to get a job and onto the career ladder.
A former YTS trainee herself, she says: “There seemed to be a lot more jobs available when I was a school leaver. Now employers can cherry-pick. It’s not just about someone having the right skill sets.
“And the timescale from applying for a job and filling the position is a lot longer. Job interviews are more in-depth.
“The guys we work with are lucky if they have even done work experience. They have nothing to go on in terms of experiencing the workplace.”
KITS endeavours to replicate the “real world” with its training. Apprentices have to clock in and out – just as they might in the factory – and have to explain themselves if they are late.
They are also encouraged to think about how best to present themselves when it comes to CVs and job interviews.
“If they are interested in certain things, we tell them to make sure their CVs highlight that,” says Amanda. “If they are interested in cars and want to be a motor vehicle apprentice, that’s worth saying.
“One of the good questions recruiters ask is ‘Why have you chosen this as your profession?’ They might ask ‘What part of engineering do you enjoy most?’ Applicants need to be able to provide an answer.”
Amanda has a wealth of experience to draw on from her own career path. After leaving Royds Hall School, she studied to be a dental technician, but left at the age of 18 when she was expecting her first child.
After daughter Deanna was born, Amanda returned to college to study counselling, but her studies were again cut short with son Reece on the way.
Later, she worked in sales and recruitment before joining a training company – then returned to recruitment working in the industrial and engineering sector before joining KITS in February last year.
“Apprenticeships are being pushed by the government more and more,” says Amanda. “Employers also realise that there is a skills shortage looming – especially in the engineering industry. It is becoming apparent that the workforce – in a lot of larger companies – are coming up to retirement age and will all be leaving at about the same time.
“Employers who do their forecasting for the next five years are looking at how many people are going to be retiring – and it is a high percentage.”
Says Amanda: “Firms are having to start looking to recruit. Now we have quite a good influx of employers who have taken on apprentices this year and are already discussing this summer’s apprentice intake.”
KITS, which has impressive facilities at Armytage Road, draws employers and apprentices from Huddersfield, Halifax, Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield as well as Brighouse and Elland.
Wherever possible, the aim is to match employers and apprentices from similar geographical areas, making it easier for the trainee to get to the workplace for on-the-job training.
Larger companies have their own training mentor assigned to the apprentice – and while some companies may have “bad” experiences of taking on apprentices, Amanda says many more have had positive results.
Amanda visits companies on a frequent basis. “If I have to ‘sell’ an opportunity to an apprentice or find a suitable apprentice for a particular firm it is a good idea to have an understanding of the environment they will be going into,” she says.
“Some companies want a ‘jack the lad’ type of character, but others want someone who may be more subdued.”
Amanda says: “While some engineering companies are still struggling, we have definitely seen a pick-up in sentiment.
“There is government support for employers who commit to taking on apprentices. It helps towards the cost of any additional training they might need on top of what they get through their apprenticeship.”
And Amanda is pleased to see that engineering is increasingly attracting girls as well as boys – although the numbers remain comparatively small.
She says: “We put on events for girls who may be deterred from engineering because of the boys! We arrange for them to come into KITS for an open day in June and we do a three-day workshop where we invite just girls who are coming up to their options.
“They get hands-on experience to help them decide if it’s an industry they want to go into. Hopefully, we will see more girls applying.”
Engineering has undergone an image change for the better, adds Amanda. “Engineering is not the world of ‘oily rags and spanners’ any more,” she says.
“These firms offer a very secure environment to work in. Some of the engineering companies I visit are the cleanest workplaces you will find.”
Away from work, Amanda still lives in Huddersfield where she grew up.
She enjoys taking her pet pug for bracing walks around the countryside – but she’s a sunseeker when it comes to holidays, with Spain and Portugal her favourite destinations.
Role: Employment engagement officer
Age: 40
Family: Daughter Deanna, 22, and son Reece, 17
Holidays: Take me to Spain or Portugal any day!
Car: VW Beetle
First job: Working in a sweet shop in Huddersfield’s Packhorse Centre
Best thing about the job? The satisfaction of matching an apprentice to an employer and telling them they are going to be taken on
Worst thing about the job? There’s no part of the job that I don’t enjoy
Business tip: Anything is possible
Work: Industrial and commercial training in engineering and related industries
Site: Armytage Road, Brighouse
Phone: 01484 711462
Email: info@kits-training.co.uk
Website: www.kits-training.co.uk
