TTE reaches a new high as students take plunge
Sep 17 2007 by Iain Laing, The Journal
The TTE Technical Training Group is celebrating its largest intake of students in its 15 year history.
More than 150 learners from across the Tees Valley have embarked on TTE’s portfolio of eight apprenticeship programmes at its Centre of Vocational Excellence in South Bank, Middlesbrough.
This milestone represents the growing awareness of technical apprenticeships as an education and career route.
The popularity of apprenticeships was highlighted during the recruitment process when TTE received double the applications for the available places on its programmes.
Students will spend two years working towards respected vocational and technical qualifications at TTE’s training centres in addition to spending a large proportion of their time in the workshops gaining practical experience of a range of engineering disciplines.
The target for the students is to achieve sponsorship from employers at the end of the two years to allow them to complete their training as Advanced Apprentices.
As Advanced Apprentices students spend two years working for their sponsoring employer gaining ‘on the job’ knowledge and experience of working in industry.
A number of the new intake has already secured sponsorship from forward-thinking employers who aim to support the development of their students from the first day of their training through to potential employment opportunities.
Among the employers already committing to sponsor students from the start of their training include Corus and Cleveland Potash.
TTE’s portfolio of apprenticeship programmes are designed to support the engineering, oil and gas, manufacturing, process and chemical industries. In addition to its own programmes, TTE also delivers apprenticeship training on behalf of employers and industry organisations including Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) and OPITO, which is the oil and gas industry skills development body.
Keith Leslie, apprenticeship business director at The TTE Technical Training Group, said: “Not only have we been impressed with the number of applications we have had for this year’s intake, the calibre of students is also very high.”
“The reputation TTE and its Technical Apprenticeships is building across the Tees Valley is definitely helping people make more informed decisions about the career paths they want to follow.”
