Member Article

Opus takes on five new apprentices

AN award-winning South Tyneside company has taken on five new apprentices to help future-proof against a forecasted skills shortage.

Opus Group has recruited four new apprentices in its Opus Building Services division and another in its Opus Medigas division.

Opus Building Services Managing Director Gavin Richardson said the move was to future-proof against a shortage of qualified specialists.

“The successful apprentices went through a rigorous and thorough selection process via the industry training body JTL and I’m delighted to welcome them on board. A labour shortage of qualified workers in the building sector is being widely forecast, so it’s timely and prudent to take on these guys now on four-year, fully-indentured apprenticeship programmes,” explained Gavin.

The four Opus Building Services apprentices attend colleges in North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Hartlepool and Newcastle.

“Three of the lads have come straight from school, but we’ve taken on one from a company that has gone into administration. He’ll be finishing off his plumbing apprenticeship with us, taking him through to final certification,” added Gavin.

Opus Building Services was created by Gavin and Ian King in 2006 and now has almost 100 members of staff. The company, based in Boldon, specialises in electrical and mechanical engineering, providing heating and plumbing services across a range of sectors. The company has recorded year-on-year growth since it was created, and its total apprentice intake now stands at 20 since 2006 as the business continues to grow.

Bryan Wood-Laine, Managing Director at Opus Medigas, said he was delighted to be taking on the company’s first apprentice: “There is a recognised shortage of skilled enginerrs within our very specialist field and working in partnership with Tyne North Training and North Tyneside College, we have developed a new specifically desgined apprenticeship for our industry, which I believe is one of the first in the UK.”

Opus Medigas designs, supplies and installs gas delivery systems and equipment needed to get medical gas to patients in medical settings or laboratories where similar gases are used.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Opus Building Services .