Suppliers make apprenticeship progress
May 1st 2011 A new, nationally recognised apprenticeship qualification for fork lift truck engineers has been created. The Fork Lift Truck Association, working with partners Retail Motor Industry Training (ReMIT) and North Warwickshire & Hinckley College, has developed a course entitled “Vehicle Maintenance & Repairs (Lift Trucks)” which is accredited by the Institute of Motor Industries (IMI); a body that already provides officially accredited apprentice training for cars, vans, lorries and a range of other vehicles.
Linde Material Handling has announced that it will register no fewer than 16 apprentices for the first year of the new course, while students already enrolled for the FLTA’s lift truck apprenticeship pilot scheme will be transferred free of charge.
FLTA chief executive David Ellison explains: “Our industry needs high quality engineers, and it’s no secret that many are beginning to approach retirement. That means we have an urgent need for bright, enthusiastic recruits – and I’m sure this new course will deliver exactly that.
“These days, lift trucks are almost unique in the level and sheer variety of engineering skills they demand, as well as the pace of innovation and improvement in the technology. It all makes for an exciting syllabus – and one we’ll need to update on a regular basis.”
BITA recruitment plan At its AGM, the British Industrial Truck Association (BITA) announced a plan to recruit an Industry Apprentice Manager to work with colleges and other trade associations to attract applicants to apprenticeship schemes.
BITA Board member Bill Goodwin is heading up BITA’s industry recruitment initiative, the Materials Handling Equipment (MHE) Apprenticeship Scheme.
“Excellent resources are available in the form of training courses for MHE apprenticeships – including the FLTA’s new Vehicle Maintenance & Repairs (Lift Trucks) course,” he said.
“However, the principal issue for our industry is takeup rates.We believe that BITA can help by creating a management link.We want to encourage suppliers to commit to creating apprentices on an annual basis.”
This is challenging as large companies tend to be concerned with head count. In a given year when apprentices graduate, there may not be jobs for them.
The scheme will seek to solve this issue - if apprentices are not needed by certain suppliers, they will be offered to other suppliers in the scheme, increasing their chances of finding work. More articles from Handling & Storage Solutions: | 
