Apprenticeship Award for Griffon
Griffon Hoverwork, from Southampton, UK, who specialise in the development and manufacture of military, commercial and search and rescue hovercraft, has been revealed as the Medium Employer of the Year 2014 in the National Apprenticeship Awards at an exclusive ceremony at Birmingham’s LG Arena.
The Awards, now in their eleventh year, are run by the National Apprenticeship Service and recognise excellence in two areas: businesses that grow their own talent with apprentices and apprentices who have made a significant contribution to their workplaces.
The company was chosen as the winner in recognition of its commitment to developing young people through apprenticeships. Griffon Hoverwork is the largest producer of production hovercraft in the world and holds the Queen’s Award for Enterprise. There are currently 25 apprentices, aged 17 to 28, training as marine engineers, electricians and outfitters, GRP specialists, aluminium fabricators, welders and designers with the company.
Griffon Hoverwork’s major investment in apprentices was kick started by a stark realisation of the huge skills gap within the marine industry. In order to become more cost efficient, grow the business and ensure the longevity of its workforce, the company embarked upon a strategy of training apprentices to fill the future deficit, nurturing a new generation of workers who could rise through the ranks and ultimately lead Griffon Hoverwork in the future.
On accepting the award, Mike Chalkley, Engineering Director, Griffon Hoverwork, said:
“We’re champions of apprenticeships and are doing all we can to raise their profile within the marine industry and beyond, so we’re delighted that our commitment has been recognised with this award. We’ve seen the benefits of apprenticeships to our business and want to encourage others to take action and reap the same rewards.
“This year we’ve saved £60,000 while giving employment and career opportunities that will span a lifetime to 20 local young people. It’s clear that our apprenticeship programme is mutually beneficial and we want to act as a role model for other employers who could create similar success stories.”
The ceremony, held during The Skills Show, the nation’s largest skills and careers event, also saw Griffon Hoverwork named in the prestigious Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers list.
By Jake Frith
