Northern Gas Networks (NGN), the North of England’s gas distributor, is expanding its apprenticeship programme through the appointment of Develop Training Ltd (DTL), one of the UK’s leading accredited providers of Apprenticeships and Compliance, Technical, and Safety training, following a £3.7 million investment in employee training in the last two years.
With a long tradition of nurturing local talent through on the job development and training, NGN is on a mission to further expand its opportunities for communities throughout the North of England, opening a new training centre at its Head Quarters in Leeds. The centre will allow the company to deliver a bespoke and targeted training scheme.
Through its ambitious apprenticeship programme, NGN is committed to providing comprehensive training in STEM careers for people from a wide variety of backgrounds and with different levels of experience. Aiming to help employees play to their strengths, NGN has recruited over 130 apprentices since 2005 and today, more than 50% of the workforce now aged 40 or under. Although its apprenticeship programme isn’t just open to young people – anyone of any age can apply for opportunities in both operational and office based roles.
Including both classroom and practical training, the new programmes delivered by DTL will help apprentices to develop skills in; installation, testing, purging, commissioning procedures, health and safety and environmental regulations and the theory and principles that underpin the design and function of complex assets.
Callum Dale, Apprentice at Northern Gas Networks, said: “The apprenticeship programme at NGN offers great flexibility, which allow individuals to gain valuable skills. It is so important to recruit young talent as they can bring new skills, ideas and energy into the business. I’m incredibly lucky to have received a great level of support this far on the apprenticeship scheme and I’m confident this will provide me with a whole host of valuable expertise that I may not have had access to elsewhere.”
Chris Adair, Training Manager at Northern Gas Networks, said: “We are extremely passionate about recruiting and nurturing our workforce, both current and future – all colleagues at NGN have personal development plans to ensure continual progress, career opportunities and acquisition of new skills. As the energy industry continues to change, it is imperative that we give our employees the skills and tools they need to do their jobs now, but also develop the knowledge and experience needed to be able to adapt to evolving demands in years to come.
“Working with DTL moving forwards will allow us to further establish our programme and build on the strong foundations that are currently in place. We look forward to welcoming more apprentices in the coming years.”
John Kerr, Managing Director of Develop Training, said “NGN are certainly passionate about nurturing talent and creating opportunities for its employees, they also have an awareness of skills gaps and the future needs of the sector and are serious about fulfilling those gaps to ensure a pipeline of talent for the future not only exists but thrives, it’s been a fantastic partnership, one which we will continue to build on”.
To find out more information about the opportunities available, please visit: https://www.northerngasnetworks.co.uk/.