Posted to News on 15th Dec 2008, 10:14
Harwin invests in training and apprentice programmes
Harwin invests heavily each year in plant and machinery to keep its manufacturing capability abreast with current technology. To support the capital expenditure programme the company runs an apprentice scheme to ensure that it will always have a versatile team with the necessary skills to run the newest engineering and plating technology, along with the design and tool-making skills necessary to manufacture product, starting with the raw materials. This avoids out-sourcing from the perceived low-cost countries - which is a route chosen by many other companies. For Harwin, the benefit of keeping skills and capabilities in-house reduces the time to market and increases the flexibility of the services that it offers to customers.
This scheme has been running since 2003 and aims at starting three apprentices each year on the four-year National Advanced Modern Apprenticeship scheme. As part of the engineering apprenticeship programme, all apprentices are required to undertake a BTEC National Certificate in the first two years. Harwin then encourages the apprentices to take an HNC in the final two years. Following that the company will sponsor an HND course. During the programme, engineering apprentices are encouraged to develop their capability in the use of engineering software. Although the apprenticeship programme itself is a combination of both college training and NVQ assessments, additional training is a given. Harwin also supports shorter apprenticeships in IT and administration.
Chairman Damon de Laszlo comments: "Harwin is an R&D-driven, engineering-led company that invests heavily in keeping its plant and machinery at the cutting edge of technology. Our training and apprentice programmes ensure that a flow of the brightest talent is available to take advantage of the new technology.
"Many of our existing staff have come through traditional apprenticeship programmes and further developed their key skills through their career at Harwin. The current apprenticeship programme is ensuring these specialist skill requirements are safe-guarded for the future."
Customers benefit by working with Harwin's design and manufacturing engineers - supported by the latest 3D CAD technology - in order to achieve low-cost installed new products, designed for efficient manufacture and delivered to customers in packaging that suits customers' manufacturing requirements.
