We invited our gas apprentices in for a very special breakfast this morning.

After working with our engineers since the prem fleet began, it is now time for our apprentices to begin their training and become fully qualified engineers themselves.

In honour of the launch our 10 apprentices were cordially invited to a presentation on what the new course will entail, and to field any questions which they might have (not to mention enjoy a complimentary fry up, cooked in house by students from South Cheshire College).

But before Prem Fleet Manager Gary Ainscough presented the finer details, Managing director Dave Ashwell was on hand to welcome them to the next phase in their careers.

“Our goal is to never have to go outside to recruit new employees, because we know we have all of the talent in the world right here. So rather than have to continually look outside, we’d rather just grow our own.

You are all sitting here right now because you have the right personality, and that’s what we are looking for above all else – engineers, but with a great personality – and so growing our own is key to achieving that”

Starting Tuesday 12 May our apprentices will attend Crewe and Nantwich training college for the next 20 weeks. The course will be split into 4 modules and will cover topics from cookers, hot water heaters, central heating systems and gas meters. Then at the end of the course they will sit their final exam.

On top of that they will also need to submit a portfolio of 35 jobs which they have personally completed.

All of this will count towards obtaining their ACS certification.

That may seem like a lot to cram in over the next 5 months, however with plenty of experience now behind them, some fantastic mentors to help them along the way, and an above 90% pass rate at the college, we’re confident our guys will be fully qualified in no time.

This initiative is the result of a lot of hard work from the team based in Crewe, and is yet more evidence for how serious we are in developing our internal talent, and also delivering the ultimate doorstep experience to our customers.

So please join us in saying well done to everyone involved in the project, and good luck to our apprentices over the next 20 weeks.

We’ll be sure to keep you updated on their progress as the weeks go on.