Apprentices address shortfall

Sheffield Forgemasters has taken on 32 apprentices, bringing the number of trainees at the South Yorkshire company to 70, representing 10 per cent of its total workforce.

Forgemasters will train the 70 apprentices over the coming year.

The majority are in their second, third and fourth years, but 32 are school and college graduates studying for specialist careers and roles in all departments across the company’s Brightside Lane site.

Dr Graham Honeyman, chief executive at Forgemasters, said: ‘We offer our apprentices a great opportunity to pursue rewarding careers with a forward-thinking company that they may not have otherwise had the opportunity to embrace.

‘A lot of employers don’t see the value of this long-term commitment to skills training but it is absolutely essential that companies see this.