Cannock-based Gestamp Tallent (www.gestamp.com), a supplier of metal components for the automotive sector, has appointed In-Comm Training (www.in-comm.co.uk) as its preferred provider of apprenticeship training.

The company recently opened a second factory in Wolverhampton, and it currently has 11 apprentices studying at In-Comm’s ‘state of the art’ academy in Aldridge (on the Trailblazer mechatronics and tool-making courses).

Gestamp Tallent is planning to recruit another 30 apprentices over the next three years, as it looks to increase its volumes with all the major car manufacturers in the UK and Europe, bridge the skills gap and address the problem of an ageing workforce.

Julian Nicholas, the company’s training controller, said: “We want to work with a partner that understands where we are going as a business and can deliver the level of quality training that will produce engineers who can have an immediate impact within the business.

“After a competitive tender process that involved more than 10 providers, we decided to appoint In-Comm to work with all of our apprentices.

“This involves helping us recruit them, shaping the training and then ensuring that they are learning on equipment that is relevant to them. All of our apprentices spend 18 months at the academy full-time and then join us for one day each week.

“This is the type of intensive development that you saw in the late 1970s — and one we are very much in favour of.”

Gareth Jones, joint managing director of In-Comm Training, said: “There is an industry-wide desire for more-robust apprenticeship programmes, and our work with Gestamp Tallent reflects that.

“We sat down with the team and looked at the right courses, before jointly tailoring them to reflect some individual elements that they needed covered.

“It’s all about listening to the employer and ensuring that we deliver the skills support they need — not what we think they may want.”