One of the West Midlands leading training providers is heralding an apprenticeship boom from employers as they strive to act quickly to find solutions to growing recruitment issues.

Gareth Jones, In-Comm Training managing director (pictured below), believes firms are facing a race to find the talent they need, with job vacancies at a record high and competition to attract staff tougher than ever.

His company has more than 130 current positions at its three technical academies in the Black Country and Shropshire for young people and mature learners looking to embark on a new career in roles ranging from engineering, manufacturing and continuous improvement to leadership and management and business administration.

There are immediate starts for budding technicians, machinists, operatives, welders and toolmakers, with new apprenticeships (Levels 3-5) available for heritage engineers and continuous improvement and quality practitioners.

Mr Jones said: “Now is the time for employers to review their staffing requirement and look at how they are going to meet their skill needs, whether that is through apprenticeships or upskilling opportunities. Hesitancy could lead to major delays, vacancies need to go live in quarter one of this year.”

“As we saw last year, waiting until May, June or July can have a major impact on being able to fill positions, with many young people (studying for GCSE/A Levels) deciding now what their next steps will be.”

“We have got 90-plus companies, including Epson, Metsec Voestalpine, Hoshizaki and Filtermist, actively searching for 130 new starters, which is good news for young people looking to use vocational learning to get into the career of their choice. The roles are varied and cover more than 20 different sectors, offering something for everyone.”

He added: “There has never been a better time for potential apprentices to come forward, with exceptional high levels of choice with hundreds of world-class organisations. The packages that are being offered are outstanding — wages, fast-track career progression and learning journeys that are being supported all the way through to HNC and degree level.”

2022 will be a big year for Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ In-Comm Training, with its 40th birthday in April and several exciting new initiatives coming on-stream. Kicking off these activities will be the official opening of its Telford Academy as part of the relocation from Bridgnorth, providing training for up to 150 apprentices and upskilling for nearly 1,000 workers over the next 12 months.

This will be followed by a new strategic partnership with a continuous improvement specialist and the launch of a tooling project that aims to provide high-level qualifications and a real-life toolroom within its Aldridge facility.

Mr Jones concluded: “Everything we do is employer-led through our strategic partnership model with industry and designed to respond to the skills and training requirements of firms on the ground. This allows us to provide apprenticeships and courses that will future-proof workforces for years to come and the latest ventures have all been conceived to cope with specific demand from the region.”

In-Comm Training is launching its annual Training Barometer this week to help it get underneath the skin of the current skills issues facing businesses in the UK.

The five-minute survey, which targets both employers and students, with results due to be published during National Apprenticeship Week 2022 (7 to 13 February).