By Dave Robson
There’s no substitute for skills and experience – and members of NC Group’s apprenticeship team have plenty of both.
Between them, they have decades of on-the-job experience, meaning apprentices get a learning programme steeped in real-life skills.
But because many of those skills are being taught by people who were recently in industry, the tuition is relevant and up-to-date.
And it’s that mix, says NC Group MD Ian Nelson, that makes a big difference compared to, for example, other, more academic-based training providers.
He said: “Our team has the competency levels, skills and up-to-date industry specialisms to deliver engaging, relevant apprenticeships.
“Their skill sets are second to none. For example, we’ve probably got 150 years’ worth of engineering background alone – including staff that we have recruited from some of the UK’s most well known companies.”
Apprentices at NC Group start learning practical skills first, rather than theory. And because first-year numbers are capped at around 10, they’re guaranteed individual attention.
Ian explained: “It means apprentices get the one-to-one support they need from the onset, where additional support is identified and apprentices don’t just focus on theory at the beginning of their journey with us – this is a unique experience in this sector. Training is also specific to their, and the employer’s, needs.
“There’s a reason the big players on this park work with us and it’s because of the skill sets we have.”
Apprenticeship manager Darren Tate said: “We have a fantastic, highly-experienced team whose goal and passion is to pass their knowledge and experience on to the next generation.”
So, whether it’s engineering, leadership or functional skills, NC Group’s apprenticeship training is practical, hands-on and relevant.
But who’s doing the training? Let’s meet the team…
Steve Harrison – lead practitioner
A time-served toolroom machinist with a Masters degree in enterprise management, Steve holds several teaching and assessment qualifications, with 16 years’ experience of engineering curriculum and operational management in ITPs and FE colleges. He has current knowledge and in-depth experience in engineering apprenticeship standards and end-point assessment preparation.
Julie Gorman – curriculum lead
Julie, who graduated from Northumbria University with first class honours in Post Compulsory Education and Training, has 20 years’ experience within the further and higher education sector. Curriculum lead for NC group since April 2022, she specialises in curriculum development, quality improvement and leadership & management apprenticeships.
John Bayne – engineering tutor
With over 40 years’ experience working at local blue-chip companies, John’s roles have included being a time-served maintenance electrician working on high-speed manufacturing equipment, an instrumentation and control engineer working on various PLC/SCADA systems, a project engineer for new capital equipment and upgrades incorporating robotic and vision systems, and an engineering group leader.
Brian Corker – lead practitioner
Vastly experienced in the workplace and classroom room, and with specialisms including mechanical engineering, fluid power systems and mechatronics, Brian’s career has included roles as technical apprentice at Smart & Brown Engineering, industrial engineer at Thorn Lighting and plant and process design engineer at DSRM/British Steel. He has then passed his vast knowledge on through lecturing roles at various colleges across the North-East – and now as lead practitioner at NC Group.
Darren Grainger – engineering tutor
With over 25 years of experience as a time-served toolmaker and CNC machinist, engineering tutor assessor Darren has honed his skills in the field of engineering. In his previous role as a training and development engineer, he was committed to the importance of apprenticeships. His role at NC Group now allows him to be fully dedicated to moulding the next generation of engineers.
Annemarie Mathias – Maths and English lead
Since moving to the North-East in 1999, Annemarie has worked as a tutor, lecturer, programme manager and area manager in different settings, but always in further education and training. Now an assessor in NC Group’s work-based learning team, she studied and achieved all her teaching qualifications while working full time – but says her greatest achievement was her degree in Post-Compulsory Education and Training, with First Class Honours, at the age of 50.
Find out more at ncgroupltd.co.uk.