The British Coatings Federation (BCF) is calling on inks and coatings employers to take advantage of the wide range of apprenticeships available to help recruit the next generation into the industry.
There are around 600 available apprenticeship programmes in England, and with at least 95% of the training costs being funded by the government, The BCF has pointed out that they are a cost-effective way of developing the knowledge and skills of the workforce.
The BCF’s own Apprenticeship Service has been purpose-built for BCF members by the Apprenticeship Training Agency (ATA). The ATA can work with employers to put individuals through apprenticeships or whole teams and the services it provides are for small as well as large organisations.
Employers can also take advantage of BCF’s agreement with Tiro, a specialist trainer provider for science and technology apprenticeships, which will also give funding for the BCF’s Coatings Training Institute courses. Tiro’s level 3 Laboratory Technician and Science Manufacturing Technician apprenticeships will both utilise six modules from the Coatings Training Institute as the knowledge element of the apprenticeship.
BCF CEO Tom Bowtell said: “We hope to see more members taking up opportunities to train employees across the coatings sector in future. We believe we have some great solutions for our members to take advantage of, and apprenticeships are a great way to either upskill existing staff or bring in new recruits. Our team at the BCF Apprenticeship Service are fully committed to helping the coatings industry with this significant challenge faced with recruiting new staff in the current climate.”
