Member Article

Tissue maker earns top prize at regional apprenticeship awards

Local tissue manufacturer SCA in Prudhoe is celebrating after being named ‘Large Employer of the Year’ at the North East National Apprenticeship Awards 2014.

Welcoming the win, SCA site manager Richard Sutcliffe, said: “We are delighted to be recognised for our commitment to apprenticeships with this award. SCA isn’t just seeking to fill vacancies we take a long-term approach to inspiring and training the business and engineering leaders of tomorrow.

“Our focus is both personal and professional development with genuine career progression. Many of our lead operators on site today began their careers through the apprenticeship scheme.

“In a performance-driven company like ours, finding talented, highly-skilled and capable employees is essential to achieving outstanding results. Investing in our apprenticeship programme has made a significant contribution to the development of our workforce and remains an integral part of our careers programme.”

The National Apprenticeship Awards, now in their eleventh year, are run by the National Apprenticeship Service and recognise excellence in two areas: businesses that grow their own talent with apprentices and apprentices who have made a significant contribution to their workplaces.

In addition the winning the ‘Large Employer of the Year’ category, Taren Ridley-Kime, a 22-year-old SCA apprentice specialising in electrical and electronic engineering came second in the ‘Higher Apprentice of the Year’ category.

SCA will now represent the North East and join the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers at the national final in Birmingham on 13 November.

Skills Minister, Nick Boles, said: “Apprenticeships continue to grow in popularity, and events like the National Apprenticeship Awards showcase how beneficial they are to both employers and individuals.

“It is fast becoming the norm for young people to choose between an Apprenticeship or university as a route to a great career. I’d like to congratulate all of those who have received an Apprenticeship Award.”

SCA is one of the region’s most dynamic manufacturing businesses, producing the popular house-hold toilet roll brand Velvet, and manufacturing tissue products for leading supermarket chains including Asda and Costco – as well as commercial washroom products sold under the Tork label. Its Paper Mill in Prudhoe is the second largest manufacturing employer in Northumberland with a workforce in excess of 400.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by publicrelations consultancy.com .