Apprentice hoping to climb career ladder with Shrewsbury lift company
A family-run lift company has appointed a new apprentice to help it address the shortfall of highly-skilled staff engineers.
Engineering apprentice Tom Owen has joined Belvidere Lifts, which was founded in Shrewsbury in 2002.
The business says it has grown steadily, based on the firm foundation of quality products and service, and wanted to ensure that all employees reflected this. Training its own employees through apprenticeships has been key to its growth, it added.
Stephen Nankivell, managing director of Belvidere Lifts, said: “I started my career as an apprentice and knew that this was the way to build a good team, trained to our standards, and embracing our values.
"Our sector is specialised and struggles for highly skilled engineers but apprenticeships are helping us to address that. The company’s biggest asset is its employees.
“Tom is settling in well and is spending time with a service engineer, supporting on-site maintenance. He will then move in to the workshop undertaking repairs and ultimately installation.
"He will follow the maintenance and operations engineering technician level three apprenticeship. This standard is ideal for the sector and is helping to fill the skills gap for service engineers.”
Tom had studied a level three public services qualification with the intention of joining the armed forces, but a change of location and a change in circumstances required him to take stock.
Tom said: “Engineering has always been at the top of my career preferences and I wanted training and qualifications which would help me to build a good career.
"The apprenticeship at Belvidere Lifts was offering just that and there is also the possibility of progression on to a higher apprenticeship in the future. I am really enjoying the work and colleagues are really helpful."
Amanda Carpenter, project lead for the Ladder for Shropshire, said: "We were delighted to support Belvidere Lifts to progress this opportunity and wish Tom every success with his apprenticeship."
Employers wanting to know more about apprenticeships can contact Amanda on amanda@ladderforshropshire.org
