Mark Andrews, NG Bailey: ‘Now is the time to invest in Apprenticeships’

Mark Andrews, chief executive
of NG Bailey

Mark Andrews, chief executive of NG Bailey and an Apprenticeship Ambassador, talks about the importance of companies investing in Apprenticeship schemes, especially in the current economic climate.

NG Bailey has been taking on apprentices since 1934 and championing its own Apprenticeship scheme since 1969, when it opened the doors to the Bailey Engineering Academy.

Apprenticeships are very important to UK industry, and although some companies will undoubtedly slash their training budget during this tough economic climate, I would encourage businesses to instead focus and prioritise their spending in this area. This will ensure not only the continuation of the schemes, but the development of them and as a result will avoid us losing the talent of young apprentices that, over time, will add value to our businesses.

Without apprenticeships, we could be setting ourselves up for a skills gap in the long run. We have a duty to make sure young people are offered a plethora of routes to a fruitful career, of which an Apprenticeship is one of them.

NG Bailey apprentice

NG Bailey invests approximately £4million in training across the company each year and a substantial amount of this sum is allocated in support of the Bailey Engineering Academy. We also secure some funding though the Learning and Skills Council.

The Apprenticeship programme allow businesses to choose the right people for its success. At NG Bailey, we find that after apprentices have completed our programme, they are ready to be placed within the business, already live and breathe the NG Bailey ethos and know how we work – which has proved, for us, to be invaluable over the years.

Our apprentices are put through a very comprehensive training programme, earning a good wage while they are training, and ultimately go on to have a career in one of the top UK industries, which pays a rewarding salary.

It is important to ensure that apprentices are paid a fair wage throughout their training and to make sure they are aware of the routes and opportunities within the company, once they have completed the course. Seeing how former apprentices have progressed through the ranks at NG Bailey, and there are many, helps them strive to want to achieve the same for themselves.