We are pleased to announce that Marshall Aerospace is among the first companies in 2024 to earn the Engineering Apprenticeships Silver Employer Kitemark. This recognition has been awarded via the Next Gen Makers (NGM) Engineering Apprenticeships Best Practice Programme under a partnership with Make UK.
The award recognises Marshall’s continued dedication to tackling the ever-present skills shortage, with the UK estimated to be roughly 186,000 apprentices short of demand every year.
Kitemark status is restricted to a select handful of businesses that have consistently demonstrated commitment to delivering first class apprenticeships, and is awarded to those who demonstrate an ongoing dedication to improving apprenticeship standards across the engineering sector.
In order to achieve Kitemark status, Marshall Aerospace had to achieve over an 80% approval rating from its current aerospace apprentices as well as evidence of ongoing improvement in two key areas: attendance of outreach events and apprentice engagement. These two categories are key to attracting talented people and building on Marshall’s success as an engineering training provider by cultivating the best learning environments for apprentices.
Aerospace Apprenticeships Specialist Sid Fuller has recently established a dedicated forum to give apprentices a chance to voice their opinions on key topics. These meetings have a pre-agreed agenda with appointed apprentice representatives from each cohort, and offer an opportunity for every cohort to give honest feedback on their experiences.
Next Gen Makers aims to foster positive engagement for apprenticeships in engineering nationwide. Being part of this programme means Marshall apprenticeships will be featured and promoted by Next Gen Makers online and in schools across the UK. Being a part of this industry initiative also enables Marshall to meet once a month with other recognised engineering apprenticeship providers to discuss key issues and collaborate with them to continue to improve industrywide standards.
In the coming year Marshall will be aiming to build on our successful silver award to gold status by demonstrating continued improvements across its apprenticeship offering.
Aerospace apprenticeships manager Georgina Scott-Wilds, who identified and completed the application to NGM on behalf of Marshall, commented, “It is really exciting for us to be recognised, not only by our industry peers but also by our apprentices, for the incredible standard we deliver. I am looking forward to working together throughout 2024 to achieve Gold.”