The UK’s leading manufacturer of livestock and equestrian equipment has taken on more than 20 apprentices in 2023 – its largest number in any year to date.
IAE in Staffordshire has brought in 21 apprentices across six different programmes, ranging from engineering to administration and health and safety to management.
The first cohort of 11 engineering apprentices are set to go through IAE’s new Apprenticeship Development Centre, and the company is also using a new, onsite training provider called Train’d Up.
Chris Morris is learning and development manager at IAE, based on a 38-acre purpose-built site in Stoke-on-Trent, where products include handling, housing and stabling equipment, steel fencing and shelters.
Chris said: “We have been impressed with the quality of employees that have resulted from our apprenticeship programmes.
“We believe that the apprenticeship route is a great way to address skills shortages and as a result we have been steadily increasing our recruitment levels of apprentices.
“The 21 apprentices we’re taking on across 2023 will be IAE’s largest annual intake to date and, along with our new Apprenticeship Development Centre and onsite training provider called Train’d Up, this underlines our commitment to training and staff development.”
Chris is also sub-regional chair of the Stoke & Staffs Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network, part of the West Midlands Apprenticeship Ambassador Network (WMAAN), a group of employers committed to promoting apprenticeships to bridge the skills gap.
He added: “We are particularly pleased that seven of the latest apprentices are joining us straight from school, with six of them recruited from the local school.”
Kevin Davis, chairman of the Staffordshire Ladder, which promotes apprenticeships across the county of Staffordshire and the West Midlands region, said: “There are tremendous things taking place at IAE.
“This is an excellent example of how an employer has integrated apprenticeships into their business.”
