Mid Cheshire College student Jack Hodgkinson has recently received the college's Apprentice of the Year award for his work with Schoeller Allibert, a world leader in plastic reusable transit packaging (RTP).
Schoeller Allibert has continued to honour its commitment to nurturing young talent over the past year, taking on four apprentices in 2012 with a further two starting in August 2013.
Pat McNally, Apprentice Programme Manager at Schoeller Allibert, explains, "When recruiting apprentices, we look for individuals with a can-do attitude, a willingness to learn, and an interest in mechanics, who can go on to specialise in process or maintenance engineering. Experience tells us that recruiting skilled engineers can be difficult, so at Schoeller Allibert we believe in growing our own workforce through apprenticeships. Giving our apprentices four years rather than three gives them genuine employment prospects rather than simply the foundations to build a career."
Jack Hodgkinson, 19, spent the first year of his apprenticeship studying towards his Performing Engineering Operations (PEO) qualification, and has since spent the summer months working full time at Schoeller Allibert, before heading back to college in September.
Pat continued: "Jack is a great example of a hard worker with an aptitude for the industry who shows genuine promise. Everyone here has congratulated him on winning Apprentice of the Year during year one of his apprenticeship, and his award has come as no surprise to anyone. It's a great morale boost for the whole team having him here. It's a brilliant achievement for him, especially considering there are more than 9,000 students at Mid Cheshire College."
Schoeller Allibert is committed to building for its future, with the continued support of local schools and colleges.