Sheffield Forgemasters has won a national award for its commitment to investing in, and developing, new talent. The firm received one of just three awards handed out annually by Northern Defence Industries (NDI).
Forgemasters received the Investment in Skills title at the NDI awards, held in conjunction with its annual conference in Manchester. The award recognises the company’s commitment to fostering and investing in local talent at its Brightside Lane base, which provides molten steel for the company’s casting and forging operations; it also manufactures high-tech bespoke engin-eered components for industries as diverse as defence, offshore oil and gas and civil nuclear power generation.
Group training officer Ricardo Franckeiss said: “Sheffield Forgemasters has a proud 200-year history and, over this period, the company has amassed a vast wealth of experience and technical know-how in the steel-making, materials engineering and manufacturing disciplines. That said, we never rest on our laurels and invest heavily to ensure that we maintain a highly skilled, trained and competent workforce that is fully equipped to meet the increasing demands made on our company and our industry.”
Over the last five years, Sheffield Forgemasters has recruited 77 apprentices and, last December, 16 of its young engineers graduated with Foundation Degrees from Barnsley College. The company has also invested heavily in a company-wide ‘lean manufacturing’ initiative, including training for a large number of staff, as well as a number of adult apprentices.