A CROP science company in Huddersfield is seeing the benefits of its established apprenticeship scheme.
And Alistair Conn, site manager at Syngenta at Deighton, was so confident about the way apprenticeships are delivering quality employees of the future that he invited the town’s MP to see for himself.
Said Mr Conn: “Barry Sheerman and I met recently and were discussing the importance of apprenticeships so I invited him to visit Syngenta so he could see for himself the value that apprenticeships are offering the individuals and Syngenta.”
The crop science company, which plans to grow its business at the Leeds Road site, has enjoyed an excellent start in 2012 by bringing online a new manufacturing facility.
Mr Conn said recruiting and training skilled workers was a key fundamental in securing Syngenta’s business in Huddersfield as many of its qualified staff will approach retirement age over the next decade.
He said that ensuring knowledge and skills were passed on to future new generations – just as others had done throughout the site’s 100-year history – was vital to sustainable economic growth.
Ten engineering apprentices have joined in the company in the past four years and are on track to take up fully-qualified, skilled posts within the engineering operations at Syngenta.
Mr Conn said vocational training, such as engineering apprenticeships, involved hands-on learning, resulted in qualifications and led to well-paid jobs with long-term career prospects.
“With an apprenticeship, apprentices learn while they earn and have the opportunity to study for a degree or higher qualification as their career progresses,” he said. “Our apprenticeship scheme has developed model young people and earned awards.”
Callum Hutter, a fourth year mechanical engineering apprentice, has won two awards – Fitter of the Year and Mechanical Apprentice of the Year - against stiff competition from 20 other engineering apprentices at Kirklees College.
He said: “I had always wanted to undertake a mechanical engineering apprenticeship, this was the ideal job and opportunity for me as I enjoy practical work,
“Syngenta engineering apprenticeships are much sought after in the Huddersfield area and I realised that the competition would be tough, but it has been a good decision to complete an apprenticeship with Syngenta.”
Labour MP Mr Sheerman welcomed Syngenta’s commitment to training and employing young people at a time of rising youth unemployment.
Syngenta is one of the world’s leading companies with more than 26,000 employees in more than 90 countries working to increase crop productivity, protect the environment and improve health and quality of life.
