The scheme will begin in September 2013 with a pilot initiative, training 50 apprentices for suppliers located in the north west of England. The apprentices will be put through a three-year training programme before joining one of the component or services suppliers to BAE’s military aircraft or submarine business sections.
Nigel Whitehead, group managing director at BAE Systems, said, “This pilot scheme is a win-win situation. Supplier companies with more limited resources can access first-class training programmes and facilities while larger businesses take responsibility for developing the specific skills they need to grow and sustain their business, and with it their supply chains.”
He added that he was “confident” that the pilot scheme would be rolled out wider in time.
Steve Lee, managing director of Regal Precision Engineering, said the initiative was much needed. “Regal is not alone in finding that the major constraint in business growth is the lack of skilled people. This initiative seeks to address the problem by creating a generation of talented machinists for the manufacturing sector.”
The scheme is part-funded by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills out of a larger scheme, called the Employer Ownership Pilot, to boost the number of highly skilled engineers in the UK.
The Commission provided BAE with a £1.4m grant to help train the apprentices, with BAE matching that investment.
