Full Name: (required)
Email Address: (required)
Telephone: (required)
Enquiry
Name (required)
Company Name (required)
Email (required)
Telephone (required)
Town/City (required)
Post Code (required)
How can we help?
I would like someone to contact me via (tick 1 or both): PhoneEmail
[mc4wp_checkbox]
Search Full Website
Search Vacancy Reference No
North Lancs Training Group (NLTG) have a long and successful history of providing Apprentices for a large number of businesses, with one of those blossoming partnerships coming at Plumbs Ltd in Preston.
A family-run company that has been in business for over 60 years, Plumbs Ltd specialise in bespoke soft furnishings and the re-upholstery of domestic furniture.
Since 2005, 91 NLTG learners have been enrolled onto a variety of L2/L3/L4 Apprenticeships at the company, covering a wide range of areas including furniture manufacturing, soft furnishings (cutting and sewing), as well as other roles including warehouse, office administration, management and many more.
Graham Cornwell, Furniture Tutor at NLTG, who has had the pleasure of supporting Plumbs with their Apprenticeship programme continually for the past 15 years, said: “I can honestly say that due to Sarah and Rob’s (senior Managing Directors) unwavering dedication to the development of their staff’s skills and knowledge, as well as their commitment to the range of Apprenticeship programmes and opportunities available, this has been a very successful partnership.”
A key figure in that partnership today is Plumbs Production Support Manager Tom Byrom. Not only does Tom play a pivotal role in Plumbs’ current Apprentices, but he is also a former NLTG Apprentice himself.
With Apprenticeships proving so successful for Plumbs as a business, we caught up with Tom to discuss their importance, both now and in the future.
He said, “The reason I wanted some staff members on Apprenticeships is because of the shortage of skills in the industry. I wanted to develop the new staff members to increase their skills in order to replace retiring staff.
“Apprenticeships have helped benefit Plumbs in many ways. They have helped fill gaps in staffing, and they have promoted the trade to younger people.
“I hope that with our investment in Apprentices that the furniture industry will expand and more people will want to start Apprenticeships. I also want Apprenticeships to help the company expand with lots of new staff members who are willing to learn the job.”
On the ongoing partnership with NLTG, Tom added, “I would recommend NLTG Apprenticeships to other companies as they have a great range of qualifications and skill sets. The tutors are professional, and they provide fantastic support with the Apprentices.”
NLTG currently has three Apprentices on programme at Plumbs, including Santiago Fernandez (Upholsterer), Phillip Bailey (Re-Upholsterer), and Oskars Galicins (Re-Upholsterer).
With all three Apprentices performing incredibly well on their courses, we spoke to them about their experiences with both Plumbs and NLTG.
Santiago said, “Once I have completed my Apprenticeship, I want to progress on to another Apprenticeship with North Lancs Training Group. I also want to continue to work at Plumbs and progress in my role.
“I would recommend an Apprenticeship to anyone, as you earn money and you also get experience working in a career you want to pursue.”
Phillip commented: “The best part about my experience with North Lancs Training Group, in my opinion, is going to the COVE and using the skills I’ve learned in my Apprenticeship to design and upholster pieces of furniture.
“I’d recommend an apprenticeship to someone who is practical rather than academic, as on an Apprenticeship you spend most of your time learning in the workplace rather than in a classroom. I would also recommend it to people who are ready to start earning money, it is perfect as you can earn money whilst you are learning about things you have a passion for.”
Oskars added, “I have learnt lots of skills on my Apprenticeship including cutting fabrics, measuring and upholstery. I also completed my math and English qualifications while on my Apprenticeship.
“I really enjoy learning new skills; my confidence has improved massively when I am doing my duties at work, such as sewing, and I have an improved eye for detail. When I see improvement in my skills it makes me feel really good about myself and I feel like I’m accomplishing a lot.
More information about the opportunities for employers to develop their team and grow their business with NLTG, can be found here: www.nltg.co.uk/employers/
NLTG Apprentices Philip Bailey, Santiago Fernandez and Oskars Galicins with the Plumbs Ltd team and tutor Graham Cornwell.
WordPress Download Manager - Best Download Management Plugin
