Supporting Local Apprenticeships with SETA
12th December 2011
Alan Whitehead MP opened a new lifting rig built by SETA apprentices on Friday 2nd December at the training centre in Millbrook.
The crane project began when local employers identified an acute shortage of skilled Riggers and asked SETA to help with training and developing their staff. The Employer’s Training Board, ECITB, gave their support and allocated money from a discretionary fund to allow a training rig to be built.
SETA used construction of the rig as a major element of the first year off-the-job training of a group of apprentices. The project provided them with a major challenge and gave the opportunity to demonstrate skills developed earlier in the course.
Dr Whitehead helped open SETA’s enlarged Electrical AM2 facility 4 years ago and was asked back due to his continued support of apprenticeships and local businesses.
Alan said:
“These apprentices have done some amazing work. It's great to see young people being able to achieve their potential. SETA, the apprentices and all those involved should be congratulated.
“SETA has shown real talent and ability to deliver on high quality apprenticeship training. There is real scope for growing the number of apprentices trained locally if employers show willing. I’ll certainly be encouraging local employers to get in touch and make sure they are taking advantage of the providers we do have locally to get more young people into training or apprenticeships.
“And I’ll continue to lobby the Government to ensure that they address the problem of youth unemployment in Southampton. Young people cannot be left on the scrap heap.”
More information
- SETA stands for the Southampton Engineering Training Association. They were set up in 1967 to train engineering apprentices for local industry. They are a charity and has a board of Trustees made up of local businessmen and women. Their Training Centre is based in Millbrook, Southampton since 1969 and have been training apprentices there ever since.
- The design and build programme was overseen by SETA Instructors who supervised the apprentices and made sure that each stage of the build was carried out safely and gave the apprentices maximum opportunity to use their skills.
- Only a limited time was available before the apprentices left the training centre and joined their employers - this meant that finishing the rig may have been delayed until the next group of apprentices could be made available. However, the employers came to the rescue and have allowed several second and third year apprentices to come back to SETA to complete the build. As you have seen we still have some work to do.
- Further information about SETA can be found at www.setatraining.co.uk
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