GTR Composites, part of the GTR Group, has been ranked 21st in the UK’s Top 50 Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) Apprenticeship Employers, 2023. As well as being ranked 21st overall, GTR were the top placed manufacturing company. The Top 50 SME Apprenticeship Employers scheme celebrates UK’s outstanding small & medium sized apprenticeship employers and helps future apprentices, parents and careers advisers to identify apprenticeship opportunities at the country’s leading employers.
In February 2023, GTR announced that in collaboration with Chichester College Group (CCG), they had successfully trained over 170 trainees, graduates and Level 3 and 4 Apprentice Composite Technicians. The Company has been engaged in this activity since 2017 and sees their apprentice and trainee programme as essential in this rapidly growing area of advanced manufacturing, in order to provide the company with the skilled workforce of the future.
A trained GTR apprentice will have successfully completed a 36-month “Composites Technician” course which provides participants with an advanced Level 3 National Vocational Qualification (equivalent to 2 x A-Level’s). The apprenticeship scheme at GTR Composites continues to grow from links with local colleges and schools. In particular, Bishop Luffa at Chichester whom the company provided technical advice and support for their Greenpower F24 E-power race car series, St.Philip Howard school Barnham and Felpham Community College, all of which have provided apprentice applicants and also, to which GTR Composites has engaged in their Career Support Events. Since September 2022 GTR, in conjunction with their strategic partners in this venture, CCG, are now also delivering a Level 4 Higher National Certificate in Engineering. This is a 24-month course which has been offered to 10 of GTR’s existing apprentices.
Level 3 students analysing component dimensions.
Simon Kingdon-Butcher, Co-founder, Owner and Director at GTR said: “being ranked 21st in the UK’s Top 50 Apprentice Employers and also, the number one manufacturing business is a major achievement for our team. Our apprentice training scheme is a hugely valued strategic venture here at GTR. It’s been developed and led by our Head of Training Jeff Tinsley, working in partnership with Chichester College Group. Through our scheme we’re able to deliver on-the-job training that is recognised and rewarded with an appropriate qualification at the end. Close to 30% of our current full-time members of staff have joined us through our training scheme so it’s a hugely important investment in future talent for us, as well as the wider promotion of engineering as a future career option for young people. I’m pleased that we’ve been appropriately recognised through the high placement in these Top 50 rankings”.
