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Apprenticeships interview with Alden LTD

Published: 8th February 2023

Published by City College Southampton

FG Alden is a Building Service Engineering company, based in Oxford, partnering with us for Heating and Ventilation Apprenticeships. We chatted with their team about apprenticeships and the value they hold for both businesses and those undertaking them.

Why does your company hire apprentices? 

We always look to take on apprentices each year. Our aim is to bring in young up-and-coming apprentices, who have the desire to be in the Mechanical Plumbing industry and the drive to learn a range of roles. This is a productive and effective way to grow talent and develop a motivated, skilled and qualified workforce.

What benefits have you seen in having apprentices? 

Apprentices can learn on the job alongside qualified experienced engineers from the day they start working which means they progress and develop very quickly. These engineers support apprentices by showing them the ropes and passing on their knowledge and experience in the industry and the way F G Alden work.

As apprentices are able to develop in-house and learn from colleagues, they often stay with the company long term and have the potential to progress in-house and become a senior engineer to possibly a site foreman running projects.

Why do you think apprenticeships are important?

Apprenticeships help people to get the necessary skills and experience to succeed in their careers. They are the future, if someone has the drive to learn and wants a job with strong progression routes then apprenticeships are the perfect opportunity to get into the industry/company.

How would you like to see apprenticeships being utilised in the future?  

Apprenticeships have the ability to be so much bigger than they are. They should also give people the chance to learn other areas of the industry not just one part. This way they would have a wider knowledge of their industry sector and the opportunity to switch between roles for example a Plumber to a Pipefitter and possibly then into the office as a project engineer.

How has working with the college supported your apprentice’s journey?

We have always worked well and they support our apprentices, regularly helping with their development and growth and they inform us if there is an area where we may need to adapt the learning. The college has always been very successful in bringing out the best in our apprentices.

Communication is key, which the college do very well at, especially as we aren’t as local. They have a strong and proven track record with the quality and skill of their teaching in our sector. This combined is why we always send apprentices down to City College Southampton.

We are very proud to say that we even have a highly experienced site foreman who started at the college as an apprentice.