The Caterpillar Peterlee Ltd plant, which manufactures the global giant’s articulated trucks, has boosted the skills of its workforce by taking on 10 new apprentices. The move takes the number of apprentices employed by the Peterlee site to 24.
Selection support
To help pinpoint the best programme of support for its fabrication and welding needs, Caterpillar approached South West Durham Training Ltd. As well as providing information about the different types of Apprenticeship on offer, South West Durham Training helped Caterpillar to narrow its search for 10 suitable apprentices.
Ongoing development
Since taking up their Welding and Fabrication Apprenticeship places, the 10 new recruits have been assigned to one of Caterpillar’s ‘value streams.’ As well as working as part of a team to carry out a specific area of work, each apprentice is being coached individually by a mentor who assists and guides their development.
High quality training
Their ‘on-the-job’ training is supplemented by over 100 hours of formal corporate training covering a range of courses, such as health and safety and quality control. On top of this all of the apprentices attend a local college one day a week, where they are given an opportunity to learn the theory behind their more practical skills and further develop their hands-on learning.
Flexible approach
Significantly, each apprentice is being trained to have a flexible approach to their work duties. By rotating the value streams in which they work, each will be equipped to take on different operations as demand dictates.
It is also hoped that they will continue to progress their careers with Caterpillar and follow in the footsteps of many former apprentices who are still employed by the company and now work in senior management, supervisory or technical roles.
Looking forward
Like many organisations, Caterpillar has felt the effects of the economic downturn. However, the company has seen it as an ideal opportunity to plan ahead and make sure that they have the right skills in place for when the economy recovers and things pick up again.