IES expand commitment to apprenticeship opportunities

IES, a global provider of world-leading machine moving services, logistics, and project management in high technologies industries, has committed to expanding their apprenticeship opportunities and have signed up to Workforce for the Future programme.

When it comes to employment and training, IES has provided the best opportunities for their employees since 1991 and have since identified the importance of apprenticeships and ways to combat the skills shortage in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields (STEM).

By signing up to the Workforce for the Future programme, co-funded by West of England Combined Authority and the European Social Fund (ESF), IES will receive support to help them offer further development opportunities for their employees and will also help them attract, develop, and retain new talent.

Last month, IES welcomed an Apprentice Export Packer and Case Maker and has a selection of roles available at their headquarters in Bristol. These include an Operations Assistant Apprentice and another Apprentice Export Packer and Case Maker. All apprenticeship roles offer a great entry point into the engineering industry and can potentially take the participants into any sector of their choosing but will also have an opportunity to continue their career with IES.

IES also has an Apprentice Machine Mover and Rigger, Harri Green, who has been with the company since 2020. During this time, he has achieved a Level 2 Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing and a Level 3 Engineering and Technology Framework Course and will advance to a Level 3 Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing in 2023.

When asked about the course and working for IES, Harri said: “I have learnt a lot from the people on-site, and off-site at our customers facilities when completing jobs like installations, machine moves, servicing machines and removing machines. Also, other key skills I have learnt is how to pack a machine into a crate and the procedures that come along with it.

“Completing work like this has had a positive impact on my personal development as I have gained a lot of confidence from working with the different people at IES and talking to our different customers.”

Mark Methuen-Ley, People and Culture Manager at IES, said: “The decision to dedicate ourselves to offering more apprenticeship opportunities is a really exciting step for us so we can nurture more talent and see more young people enter careers in STEM.

“As our apprenticeship programmes offers on the job training alongside experienced and knowledgeable professionals, the apprentices can learn and experience a lot, especially within our different departments that are key to many high-tech facilities around the world. We have a fantastic opportunity, working with City of Bristol College to deliver the standards across our offering. It's not just for those joining IES as a new apprentice, the program is also open to existing staff members.”

IES offer a wide range of engineering and technical services, with their principal areas of expertise including semiconductor, printing, pharmaceutical, defence, and aerospace technology industries. As they continue to grow and develop, IES will provide more apprenticeship and employment prospects, with possible opportunities to travel around the world. For more information about future opportunities, visit https://www.ies.co.uk/careers.