Apprentices from a Birmingham-based engineering company recently swapped the workshop for the countryside on a special one-day training event held at Croft Farm Park in Gloucestershire.

Multi-disciplinary engineering firm Adi Group, which has a facility in Kings Norton, runs two concurrent apprenticeship programmes to ensure it has a pipeline of engineering talent for the future.

To help deliver an ‘all-rounded experience’ for its apprentices, the firm recently organised a special training ‘awayday’, where the youngsters took part in a series of tasks designed to help improve their communication, teamwork, time management and problem-solving skills.

James Sopwith, Adi Group strategic account director, said: “It is imperative that we not only take our apprentices out of their normal working environment, but also invest in skills development that helps build their experiences. At Adi we have a laser sharp focus on delivering a sustainable platform for young people.”

“These are individuals at a vital stage in their lives, people who will potentially be the ones helping to engineer a brighter future for us all, so it is really rewarding to see the commitment of our apprentices over the course of this event.

“We are really proud of both our pre-apprenticeship and apprentice programmes, which have already paid dividends in terms of strengthening and diversifying our full-time workforce.”

The training day, held in conjunction with Adi’s training partner Quest, began with a series of team presentations, from which the group of Caitlyn Kett-Davies, Raja Dubb, Shane Lambert, Wayne Hopcott and Oliver Shenton were rewarded for their team’s project which aimed to improve physical and mental health at Adi.

Coinciding with one of the hottest days of the year, the apprentices then took part in a kayaking competition, before cooling down with a swim in the Croft Farm Park lake. Attention now turns to the autumn, when the apprentices will reunite for their next training adventure, which will include Adi’s 2021/22 apprentice intake.

Mr Sopwith added: “Continuing the engineering pipeline, which feeds into a wider STEM skills gap, is incredibly important to us. At a time when many firms have had to restrict apprentice schemes amid tightening pandemic budgets, we have been able keep that access to young people open.

“Training days such as this put into perspective the importance placed on apprentices, which make up a significant part of our workforce.”

For more information on Adi apprenticeship opportunities visit the website: (www.adiltd.co.uk/careers).