We’re pleased to be a partner in the Gloucestershire Apprenticeship Challenge – a campaign launched by Gloucestershire Media and the National Apprenticeship Service to encourage employers to take on apprentices.

Look out for press coverage over the coming weeks, highlighting examples of employers who are benefiting from investing in apprentices. One such company is Stroud-based Enviro Technology, a world class supplier and leading UK exporter of air pollution monitoring systems and industrial emissions applications. Since the firm was established in 1983, they’ve taken on 15 apprentices in production & service roles such as trainee lab technicians and service engineers. They’re now training in partnership with Clarkson Evans.

Nigel Macefield, Technical Services Manager, explains why they are so keen to invest in training young people: “In a business as specialised as ours it’s incredibly important to place an emphasis on staff development. We have supported our apprentices as they gain the experience and professional qualifications they’ll need to follow an extensive career in the field of air quality monitoring.”

The company now employs 45 technical, commercial and administrative staff and has regional service centres throughout the UK, as well as satellite offices in Ireland and Qatar. With over 27 years’ experience and a highly trained team of employees they’re well equipped to provide a great start for those who wish to begin a career in the industry.

“Our experience of employing and training apprentices has been extremely positive”, commented Nigel. “Clarkson Evans offer excellent face-to-face tuition and facilities, and their support for both apprentices and employers is second to none”.

This month we had the great privilege of providing specialist training to help prepare the UK electrical finalists for WorldSkills 2011. Chris Young and Scott Wigmore are competing to represent the UK in the world’s largest skills competition, where young people from across the globe will compete to be crowned the best of the best in their chosen industry.

Chris and Scott, who both completed their apprenticeship training with Bridgwater College, have already demonstrated their high levels of expertise in the SkillElectric competition, organised by SummitSkills. The best competitors from this are then considered for WorldSkills.

The training manager for the UK electrical entry for WorldSkills is David Thomas, Education & Training Manager at the Electrical Contractors Association. He explains why he chose us to help prepare the finalists for the next stage of the competition: “Clarkson Evans Training has some of the best electrical facilities available for this type of specialist training, along with staff who’ve got considerable technical expertise and experience of teaching apprentices and electricians. It made perfect sense that they should be involved in such an important project.”

Jon Dicken, our Head of Training, explains the role we played: “Our challenge was to put the competitors through their paces with some of the toughest tests we could think of, taking them way beyond the skills you’d normally expect of a newly qualified electrician. They both did exceptionally well and I am confident that whoever represents the UK will do us all proud.”

The WorldSkills competition takes place every two years and has been running since 1953. This year’s event is taking place from 5 – 8 October at Excel London. Around 150,000 visitors are expected to watch around 1,000 competitors from 50 nations as they compete in 45 skill areas over four exciting days. More information can be found at www.worldskillslondon2011.com.

On Tuesday 15 March from 8.00 – 8.45am we’ll be holding a breakfast briefing to answer all of the most common enquiries about our new Solar Photovoltaic Installer course. If you’ve been thinking about PV training for yourself or your staff, join us to find out more details about what we can offer.

- How does the Logic Certification course compare to the City & Guilds version?

- What prior experience and qualifications are needed?

- What topics are included in the course?

- An overview of MCS accreditation

- Q&A session

Bacon rolls and tea and coffee will be served free of charge from 8.00am. The presentation will start at 8.15am and be followed by a tour of our purpose-built facilities.

Our revamped 4-week intensive electrical course will be running from February. The course now includes no fewer than four City & Guilds qualifications, along with all the practical training needed to start a new career as a domestic installer.

Weeks 1 and 2 are devoted mainly to essential practical skills – installing lighting and power circuits – with training on the City & Guilds 2377 and 2393 allowing delegates to gain the first of their valuable qualifications. Week 3 concentrates on the 17^th Edition Wiring Regulations (2382) and the final week of training includes some useful tips on heating systems, as well as the City & Guilds 2392 Fundamental Inspection & Testing qualification.

Delegates continue to benefit from the offer of genuine electrical work experience with a Clarkson Evans team.

All this is now available for just £2,250 + VAT. What’s more, for an additional charge of just £405 + VAT we’re now offering Solar Photovoltaic (PV) training too – ideal for anyone looking to specialise in installing this popular new technology.

Contact us today to find out more or arrange to visit us. Tel: 01452 858170.

30 of our bright sparks celebrated their achievements last week at our Apprenticeship Presentation Evening.

You can now check availability and book all of our most popular electrical training courses online, saving you the hassle of making a phone call when you’re busy on site.

Click here to book a course now.

Gloucestershire MPs Martin Horwood, Laurence Robertson and Richard Graham all paid us a visit to lend their support to our campaign to get improvements to the rules on government funding for apprentices.

We’re pushing for flexibility to use funding allocated for 16-18 year olds to train older apprentices because like many employers in the construction industry, Clarkson Evans is prevented from employing under-18s due to health & Safety legislation. “It’s very frustrating”, commented Managing Director Steve Evans. “Many of our customers simply will not permit under-18s on their sites so it’s not viable for us to employ younger people. We face a constant battle for 19+ funding”.In the last 10 years, Clarkson Evans has trained more than 400 electrical apprentices in the county, investing more than £2 million of its own money on top of the grants it receives from the Skills Funding Agency. “We all want to promote the creation of new jobs for Gloucestershire and the skills and training our young people need to start their careers” said Martin Horwood. “This seems to be a case of the rules getting in the way of common sense, and we intend to do everything we can to get this matter resolved quickly.”

We’re pleased to announce the launch of our new Testing Refresher Course. It’s ideal for anyone who’s previously gained a testing qualification and is now preparing for NICEIC assessment or simply wants to refresh their testing skills.

Inside our mock house, this one-day course gives delegates chance to practice testing in a realistic environment. With courses available for a maximum of just two delegates at a time, plenty of individual attention and guidance is guaranteed.

Contact our training team on 01452 858170 for more details.

Click here for more information

In December our apprenticeship training went under the spotlight; three inspectors from Ofsted spent the best part of a week assessing standards, and we’re thrilled with the feedback.

We achieved Grade 1 (outstanding) for learner outcomes. An impressive 94% of all apprentices successfully complete their training with us, compared to a national average of just 73%. Particular strengths included the standard of work skills gained, the high quality of practical training and the excellent range of facilities.

To read the report in full, visit www.ofsted.gov.uk.