Steel specialist invests in young people

Leading cold roll-forming specialist, voestalpine Metsec, said it has invested in the future of manufacturing through the appointment of four new staff members, who have become the newest recruits involved with the company’s apprenticeship scheme.

The latest intake takes Metsec one-step closer to its ambition of achieving a 20% home-grown workforce by 2020.

The four new apprentices will all be based at the firm’s Oldbury site, where they will spend the first year of employment working from Metsec’s dedicated onsite training centre, gaining a knowledge of the industry along with undertaking workshops to develop practical metalwork skills.

The programme, which can run for up to four years slowly introduces recruits to the business, with greater integration and visibility as training progresses.

All four successful applicants are aged between 16 and 19 and have been appointed after undergoing a rigorous interview process, comprising of a full day at the Oldbury site undergoing problem-solving workshops, interviews and teamwork exercises.

Metsec Environmental Safety and Training Manager Steve Giles said: “Here at Metsec, we’re committed to developing our talent within the company, and allowing our apprentices to truly develop the skills from an early stage that will see them becoming industry leaders.

“We think that it’s vital the programme educates each recruit on site, as it allows the apprentices to feel a part of our team from day one. We’re well on the way to achieving a 20% home-grown workforce by 2020, which is great for Metsec.”