A KEIGHLEY engineering company has launched an apprenticeship initiative.

Teconnex, which manufactures clamps, will work with Keighley College to recruit ten apprentices initially.

As part of the Join, Learn & Grow programme – beginning in September – Level 3 apprentices will be offered a combination of on-the-job training and college education.

The move is part of a drive by the firm – which also has sites in China, Romania, Mexico and India – to develop Yorkshire talent.

“As a company we have always believed in providing opportunities for the next generation,” said managing director, Chris Marsden.

“The pandemic has caused disruption and tragedy for people across the globe, including ourselves as a business. We have all faced tough times, but many young people have seen opportunities taken away from them due to businesses struggling through no fault of their own.

“We felt obligated to the young people of this community to seriously think about how we can help bridge the gap between education and work while providing a platform for future career growth.

“Working across our leadership team, we designed a framework to provide young people with a long-term career pathway through this new apprenticeship programme.”

Teconnex, based in Chesham Street, has hired apprentices over the years and many have gone on to take-up more senior roles within the firm.

But the new programme represents a more significant investment and a development plan has been put in place using past experiences and covering wider business areas – including engineering, health and safety, quality, customer service and IT.

Teconnex is also striving to provide more opportunities for women to enter what is still seen as a largely male-dominated industry.

“Although we have made strides in this across our global sites we are fully aware that work needs to be done,” added Chris.

“As we operate worldwide, we thrive off the diversity of our workforce and look to embrace the culture of each country we operate in. We see having people from a variety of backgrounds as a huge benefit to bringing new ideas to the business and it helps guide us to making an even better working environment for our staff and service for our customers.”

* For more details of the apprenticeships, contact Morgan Halliday on 01535 613615 or HR@Teconnex.com