Major East Midlands Steel Firm Invests in Refurbished Training Academy
Caunton Engineering Celebrates Youth Training Success to Mark National Apprenticeship Week (10-16 February 2025)
Nottingham-based Caunton Engineering is set to significantly enhance its highly successful training academy as part of a range of activity marking the UK’s National Apprenticeship Week, starting on Monday (February 10).
The family-owned company, located on the site of the former Moorgreen Colliery in Newthorpe, is one of the UK’s largest single-site structural steelwork contractors and has been operating the Caunton Academy since 2014. More than 100 apprentices and graduates have now passed through the academy’s doors since it was first set up to address the industry’s skills shortages in fabrication and welding – with 40 currently having secured long-term employment with the company. The academy combines both a classroom and a model production line which simulates the actual working production line and industrial environment, with a highly trained teaching and assessor team delivering the Extended Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering.
Caunton Engineering has now unveiled plans to refurbish the existing academy, located at the heart of the company’s factory floor, by increasing the working area and investing in state-of-the art machinery reflecting the company’s move towards more robotic and laser-based technologies. Welcoming the expansion of the academy, Caunton Engineering’s Chairman, Simon Bingham said: “We are passionate about recruiting apprentices and graduates, offering young people the opportunity to take the first step towards a career in the engineering and construction industries. The redevelopment of the Caunton Academy is testament of our long-term commitment to training our future workforce, giving them best possible skills and experience to harness the new technological developments that are transforming our industry.”
He adds: “National Apprenticeship Week also provides the ideal opportunity to celebrate and share the success stories of our academy workforce. Of the six apprentices who undertook their end point assessment last summer, all have been successful with a 100% pass rate. The ongoing success of our apprentices, once in employment, further highlights how our training is consistently meeting the ever-changing demands of the fabrication schedule and demonstrates their operational value which is significantly contributing to the company’s future.”
From inception, the Caunton Academy has been highly successful in the delivery of apprenticeships in fabrication and welding, leading to its recognition in August 2008 as an accredited Excellence Achievement and Learning (EAL) training centre. As well as gaining the Extended Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering, apprentices can also work towards achieving the Metal Fabricator Standard delivered by the in-house, qualified teaching team. The academy gained Employer Provider status in May 2017and also offers work experience to students from the local community, providing them the opportunity to design, draw and manufacture their own toolbox, gaining a valuable insight into the entire production process.
Caunton Engineering’s apprenticeship application process for 2025 is now open. For more information, visit: www.caunton.co.uk or email hr@caunton.co.uk
