Member Article

Tees Valley manufacturer supports further apprenticeships

A sought-after Teesside apprenticeship scheme is helping two youngsters forge a career in precision and heavy engineering.

Tees Components is one of a small number of UK companies capable of CNC machining, fabrication and assemble of components of up to 50 tonnes and seven-metres in diameter, and was recently named by the Government as an example of manufacturing ingenuity and quality.

The company, which is based in Skelton-by-the-Sea, recently advertised for new machine apprentices and was inundated with applications. They eventually chose Joe Cowley and Ryan Welford, and the pair will now begin their four-year apprentice scheme with the firm.

Sharon Lane general manager at Tees Components commented: “We work in a highly specialised niche market.

“Very few companies in the UK have the capability to precision machine products to he sizes we can, and the best way to prepare the next generation of engineers with the unique skills needed to do it well is to teach them ourselves, working in conjunction with our training partner Neta.”

Their appointment also marks another step in Tees Components’ commitment to supporting apprentices.

Nearly ten percent of the firm’s workforce are apprentices, while many more have come through apprentice schemes at the firm.

Machine shop manager Mark Speke started as an apprentice at the firm in 1984, and has remains there ever since.

He added: “Our apprenticeship training is very hands-on based.

“Apprentices get a thorough grounding in all the traditional machine shop skills, skills they can’t learn in the classroom, before they are allowed anywhere near the larger precision-tooling machines.”

Tees components was founded in 1963 as a machine and fabrication sub-contractor to serve the areas coal mines, and has since become one of the most comprehensive heavy engineering facilities in Europe.

In June one of its divisions, Tees Gill Thrusters, was one of 40 companies invited by the Government to submit a product to its Made by Britain initiative, which showcased the best of British ingenuity and quality.

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