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Siemens announce extension of apprenticship programme

Siemens have announced plans to expand its UK apprenticeship programme, in a move which will provide a substantial boost to the company’s green operations.

From September 2012 160 apprentices will start work in the company’s green technology and renewable energy sectors, including wind power projects and green energy transmission and distribution.

The company also plan to create 100 new graduate posts, who will be based in Newcastle, Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester, Poole, Motherwell, Llanberis, Oxford and Lincoln - Siemens’s largest UK factory where industrial turbines are made for export.

The announcement was made at the Siemens Gas Turbine Plant in Berlin, as the deputy prime minister Nick Clegg took a tour of the factory.

Commenting on the announcement, he said: oday’s announcement is fantastic news. Apprenticeships give young people an invaluable opportunity to learn on the job and allow employers like Siemens to build a workforce with the practical skills their business needs.

“For too long there’s been a barely disguised snobbery that says once you leave school, the only good thing to do is to go to university. It’s not right. We have to value vocational education just as much as academic studies. That’s why we’re creating more apprenticeships than any government since the Second World War.”

Roland Aurich, CEO Siemens plc and North West Europe added: “Creating industry-ready skills and giving the confidence of aspiration to young people from all walks of life, is critical to address the serious skills shortages we face in industry.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .