At the event, Contechs invited interested students to apply for the new positions – which will see them train for between four to six years to gain a Bachelor of Science in Engineering. Pupils were given the chance to learn more about the types of programmes they would be working on and the opportunities they would have once the apprenticeship was completed.
The Apprenticeship Evening was organised by the school to connect prospective employers from across the region with students to discuss their career options and the many benefits apprenticeships bring. It was aimed at pupils from year ten through to A Level students and covered a variety of sectors with speakers from Jaguar Land Rover, as well as the Armed Forces and Q Hotels.
Peter Jarvis, Managing Director at Contechs, said the Apprenticeship Evening seemed like the ideal platform to launch the company’s new intake of apprentices. He added: “This was a fantastic event organised by Stratford School and we were delighted to be a part of it.
“We were very excited to launch the new apprenticeships and the event gave us the opportunity to give an in-depth overview to any students considering a career in engineering about the opportunities available to them and the type of products they would be working with.
“One of our main priorities as a business is to ensure we have a strong working relationship with local schools and universities as we believe it is incredibly important to engage with the next gen of engineers.
“We strongly believe that helping to educate young people on the opportunities in engineering is vital to ensuring the industry continues to thrive. Apprenticeships are a valuable alternative to university and there are plenty of young people looking for practical alternatives to the purely academic route.”
This isn’t the first time that Contechs has worked in partnership with Stratford School. Bosses at the engineering firm were invited to speak to pupils about a career in engineering late last year as part of the school’s Careers Hub initiative. The programme was launched by the school to enable them to work closely with numerous businesses to provide subject Masterclasses, work placements for both students and staff and curriculum support as well as a variety of other opportunities as they develop.
The Career Hub services create a proactive, visible link between students, teachers, parents and employers, delivering accessible face-to-face and multimedia resources. The service focusses on embedding career education into the learning experience, and is another great way for the school to plug into its local community.
Marie Brennan, Careers Hub Co-ordinator at Stratford School, said: “We are delighted with how well the event went. This is the first Apprenticeship Evening we have organised at the school as part of the Careers Hub and it was incredibly successful.
“Stratford School’s ethos is to inspire, enthuse and engage with its students and to open their eyes to a host of opportunities beyond school.
“We are delighted that so many local businesses gave up their time to attend our Apprenticeship Evening, with some organisations offering real apprenticeships for our students.”