Award reflects Ishida's focus on skills development

08/01/2013

An Ishida Europe apprentice has been named Runner Up in the ‘First Year Apprentice of the Year’ category of the EEF Midlands Region Future Manufacturing Awards.

Daniel Althorp, who joined Ishida Europe in July 2011, beat several hundred applicants from leading companies throughout the Midlands, including Rolls Royce and Jaguar Land Rover, to reach the final shortlist of just six apprentices. The Award recognises the apprentice who has done the most to seize the training and development opportunities presented to them during the first year of their engineering or manufacturing apprenticeship programme.

Daniel is part of a recently-introduced co-ordinated Learning and Development programme within Ishida Europe which includes four-year apprenticeship and two-year graduate training schemes along with structured development programmes to enhance the skills and knowledge of existing personnel.

“Ishida has always recognised the importance of training to the success of our business but equally vital is the need to ensure that our approach continues to match the requirements of the fast-changing markets in which we operate,” explains Simon Cutler, Ishida Europe’s Learning and Development Manager.

“Our new programmes are tailored to the needs of both the individual and the business, helping to give our existing employees the right tools to achieve their career goals and deliver the highest levels of service to our customers, and providing an appropriate environment for the development of new talent, which is a vital part of succession planning as well as bringing fresh ideas and insights to the business.”

Both the Ishida Apprentice and Graduate schemes have been designed to provide a thorough grounding in all aspects of the company’s operations and to enable individuals to select a particular career pathway or specialist discipline. Existing employees can choose from a number of different learning media with a number of new learning programmes currently being piloted. Several programmes are accredited to relevant bodies such as the Institute of Leadership & Management and the Chartered Management Institute.

“Effective training has to remain at the heart of every successful business, even in challenging economic times,” comments Ishida Europe Managing Director Graham Clements.

“We are extremely proud of Daniel’s achievement in the short time he has been with us and equally delighted with the success of our new Learning and Development programme."