Turnkey workholding and sub-contract machining solutions provider Brown & Holmes have been quietly helping close the UK skills gap by training staff and apprentices from within the business. This holistic approach has enabled the business to retain plenty of staff, including 50% of which were former apprentices.
Tamworth based business Brown & Holmes have vast experience in meeting the stringent requirements of customers within industries including aerospace, automotive, defence, pump and valve and the oil sector. Helping meet these requirements are the 3 apprentices the company employs every year. Director of Brown & Holmes, Kevin Ward said:
“Our apprentices are trained in various roles in order to find out what their strongest skills are. This includes being trained up as skilled machinists, assembly engineers and design engineers to eventually be fully employed as one of the mentioned roles”
In 2019 the British Chambers of Commerce announced that the manufacturing industry was facing the biggest skills shortage in 30 years. A massive 81% of UK manufacturers admitted that in late 2018, they struggled to find people with the right experience and qualifications to fill vacant roles. This is why Brown & Holmes believes training staff from within is massively beneficial for businesses and ensures natural replacements for those who may be retiring or moving to pastures new.
In fact, Kevin is a great example of a former apprentice at Brown & Holmes who learnt the relevant skills and took over the company back in 2003. Kevin added:
“There isn't a massive pool of talent locally, therefore there is pressure to train our own employees and help the expansion of the business.”
Alongside machine tool training, Brown & Holmes also offer specific training including management. In order to give apprentices the time to learn about the business’ processes, apprentices work in a dedicated area before moving into the main business and getting a tour of the machining and design departments. Kevin concluded:
“We are very proud that we invest very heavily into employee training. I strongly believe that manufacturing holds good career opportunities for people, sometimes overlooked by the school syllabus.”
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