ADI Group, a Midlands-based multidisciplinary engineering firm, recently celebrated the achievements of its latest cohort of pre-apprenticeship students, with a graduation ceremony — held at its Kings Norton headquarters in Birmingham — that marked the conclusion of another successful year for ADI Group’s award-winning pre-apprenticeship programme.
The first of its kind in the UK and now in its ninth year, the programme provides 14-year-old students with early access to engineering training while continuing their mainstream education, and thereby equip them with practical skills, workplace experience and an Engineering and Learning (EAL) accredited qualification that contributes toward their GCSEs.
Several speakers shared insights and congratulations, including the Group’s founder, Alan Lusty, who began his own career as an apprentice. He said: “It is our mission to support young people in developing the skills, mindset and confidence they need to thrive in an increasingly competitive and fast-moving global economy. This programme is more than early exposure to engineering: it is about giving young people a meaningful and accessible pathway to build a career in a sector that desperately needs fresh talent. We are proud to be part of a growing movement that brings together industry, education and community for long-term social and economic impact.”
Over the course of two-year programme, which is regarded as ‘a powerful way to spark passion in STEM and address the industry’s growing skills gap’, students attended ADI’s facilities once a week during term time to gain hands-on engineering experience.
Of the 11 graduating students, three have already applied to join ADI’s full-time apprenticeship academy, where they will continue their journey by choosing a specialised engineering discipline. They will join a growing cohort of apprentices throughout the Group, which make up 10% of the business’s workforce.
ADI says it looks forward to welcoming its next class of pre-apprentices in September, and continues to champion accessible, inclusive and high-quality training for young people in the West Midlands. Further details can be found at the website
here.