Mon, 10 Jan 2011
BAE Systems has spoken out about its successful apprenticeship scheme.
Speaking on the first day of the Farnborough Airshow, BAE Systems, the UK’s largest security and defence firm, announced that its apprenticeships scheme has been awarded Ofsted Grade 1 status.
This ‘outstanding’ rating proves that the firm has shown a large amount of commitment to helping its staff to learn at work and undergo training that will reinforce the skills needed by people working in the industry.
The speech followed Vince Cable’s opening of the airshow, during which he called upon more young people to take apprenticeships and gain qualifications in aviation.
The Ofsted report stated that the apprentices working for BAE "gain exceptional technical and employment skills.” It continued, "Engineering success rates have improved consistently over the past three years and are well above the national average."
The judging by Ofsted included interviews with 153 apprentices and 146 supervisors involved with the training scheme.
Nigel Whitehead, BAE Systems Group Managing Director for Programmes & Support, stated, “Apprenticeships make excellent business sense for BAE Systems with the cost of our investment in their training and development repaid within one year of completion of their apprenticeship.”
He went on to add, “Apprenticeships are a vital part of our Skills 2020 strategy which aims to ensure BAE Systems has the right skills to operate and compete effectively in 2020.”
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