Spencer Group deepens commitment to developing young talent with apprentice buddy scheme

Leading engineering specialist Spencer Group is deepening its commitment to developing young talent by building on its successful apprenticeship programme with a new cohort and buddy scheme.

This year’s cohort of 13 young people includes six engineering apprentices, two each in commercial, marketing and IT roles and one plant fitting apprentice.

It represents the company’s second largest intake of apprentices and takes the total number employed to more than 65 in just seven years.

Hull-based Spencer Group has launched a new buddy scheme for its latest intake of new talent, with each apprentice being paired with an apprentice from an earlier cohort who will support them during their journey.

Every year the apprentices are assigned an experienced mentor who guides them through their studies, but this year they will also be linked up with a buddy, who has first-hand experience of transitioning from full-time education into the world of work.

The buddies will provide a friendly and familiar face who the apprentices can go to for support, advice and encouragement as they make the transition into employment.

As a Founding Partner of Hull’s employer-led school, Ron Dearing University Technical College (UTC), Spencer Group colleagues work closely with students in all year groups, leading workshops, hosting careers talks and attending open events. The business also welcomes students for work experience placements, and supports employability skills training and mock interviews.

This relationship has created a productive pipeline of fresh talent for the engineering industry as well as opening up exciting and rewarding opportunities for young people.

Spencer Group Executive Chairman and founder, Charlie Spencer OBE, said: “We’re delighted to welcome our latest cohort of apprentices. At Spencer Group we’re passionate about developing new talent and providing young people with opportunities to gain professional qualifications while learning from our experienced team of mentors.

“Year on year we’re seeing the standard of work readiness increasing among our apprentice intake, which is a testament to the exceptional level of education and careers support provided by the dedicated team at Ron Dearing UTC.”

HR Director, Yvonne Moir, added: “Many young people from our earliest cohorts have now completed their qualifications and taken on full-time roles within Spencer Group, with some also having become parents, so we’ve really seen them develop as people as well as colleagues.

“Our apprentices truly become part of the Spencer Group family and it’s a privilege to follow their journeys as they grown, both professionally and personally.

“We’re proud to see many of our older apprentices now taking on buddy roles to support our newest cohort and we can’t wait to see what our new apprentices achieve during their time with us.”

Morgan-Lee Hickingbotham, 18, is joining Spencer Group as an Information Communications Technician Apprentice after securing an Extended Diploma in IT at Ron Dearing UTC.

He said: “I was worried about the financial cost of university and I didn’t feel ready to leave home yet, so I thought an apprenticeship was the perfect way for me to continue learning and expanding my knowledge while working and gaining hands-on experience.

“After hearing so much positivity about the opportunities at Spencer Group and how much they invest in their apprentices, I knew it was somewhere I’d love to work, so I put all my energy into securing a role.

“I’m really passionate about helping people and being able to fix things, so I’m looking forward to putting the knowledge I’ve learnt in sixth form into practice and working to assist people with their IT issues.”

Spencer Group is also keen to encourage more women to consider a career in the male-dominated engineering sector, with colleagues working closely with female students at Ron Dearing to raise more awareness of opportunities in the industry.

When Spencer Group first began working with the school, just 2% of its apprenticeship applications came from females, but Spencer Group’s work to change perceptions about the industry has contributed to this increasing to 27%.

Jessica Dickinson, also 18, is beginning her Civil Engineering Degree Apprenticeship after studying Engineering and Creative iMedia at Ron Dearing UTC.

She said: “Engineering is still a male-dominated field, but that has never put me off pursuing my goals. If anything, it spurs me on to prove people wrong and show that women can do just as well, if not even better!

“My teachers at Ron Dearing were always really supportive and encouraging of female students considering a career in engineering, and, when I met Yvonne and the team from Spencer Group, I set my heart on securing an apprenticeship with the business because everyone was so lovely.

“I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into new things. I’m open minded about what part of the industry I want to work in and one of the great things about Spencer Group is that we get to rotate around the business and learn more about the different opportunities and career pathways.”