National Apprenticeship Week in Northumberland

National Apprentice Week offers a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the work businesses in Northumberland do to support apprenticeships in this area. Advance Northumberland work with many businesses in the region and have spoken to two businesses who significantly invest into their apprentices through the great schemes available.

EGGER (UK) Ltd, Hexham

As one of the largest wood-based materials manufacturers in the UK, EGGER is Northumberland’s largest employer. At their Hexham site, apprentices account for 18% of their 600 employees (either qualified or in training).  The programmes are varied and offer practical, hands on learning.

Apprenticeships are available in electrical and mechanical engineering, leadership management, business administration and logistics at Level 3-5, with a new sales executive  apprenticeship scheme to be launched in 2023. The range of apprenticeships on offer is key to attracting and retaining talent within the Northumberland-based town and developing key skills for the future. The Hexham site currently has 79 qualified apprentices who are continuing their careers with the international manufacturer.

EGGER has significantly invested into its apprentice programmes, including a purpose built training centres on site for electrical and mechanical apprentices. It is a great place to learn on the job with focused support from training managers and peers. Former Business Apprentice Amy stated “I joined EGGER’s Production Planning team as a Business Administration Apprentice. I completed my apprenticeship in 2019 and became Production Material Management Assistant. Since then I have gained more knowledge and experience in the area of Production Planning, and in 2021 I was promoted to Production Material Management Specialist.”

- Amy Hawke Production Material Management Specialist

Essity, Prudhoe

Essity are a global manufacturer with its largest UK facility based in Prudhoe, producing for Cushelle, Velvet and Tork. They have recently secured planning permission to build a wastepaper recycling facility in Northumberland that will become one of the UK’s most advanced wastepaper recycling plants, as well as creating a safer environment for their employees.

The Essity Academy opened on their Prudhoe site in November 2022, to provide a space to train new apprentices to their specific qualification standards. They have recently been awarded as an official training provider by the government which is a huge attraction for young people in the region.

Essity has recently run a taster day for young people with great feedback from the local school, this gives them an incite of the different hand skills techniques while working with our current 1^st year apprentices.  This has received great feedback from Prudhoe community high school.

“Please pass on a huge thankyou to the team, for all the planning and organisation that went in to it. The practical activity worked perfectly, and seeing your first year apprentices working with our Year 13’s was great and created just the right atmosphere.

The Q&A session was just right too, and I'm confident there will be applications from most who came along.”

-Tim Smith, Prudhoe Community High School

Their training centre provides specialist on-the-job training, ingraining Essity values and preparing apprentices for the process and technical positions within the business. Apprentices are fully supported by mentors throughout the scheme, including on the shop floor where they have hands on training to support the manufacture of Essity products.

 Apprentices are the future of the business, with an aim to retain the talent they have cultivated through the investment and time taken to support and grow their Prudhoe-based team.