MGF were delighted to attend the University of Salford awards evening on February 13th at The Etihad Stadium, as we were nominated for and won the employer award for SME Apprentice Employer of the Year.
Our Engineering Manager, Lee Womersley, and CAD Team Leader, Dylan Pollard, attended an evening hosted by The University of Salford at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium on the 13th February.
The evening was organised to celebrate all the work put into apprenticeships across the region, acknowledge hard work and dedication, and celebrate the achievements of apprentices and their providers across varying professions.
MGF were very pleased to receive the employer award for ‘SME Apprentice Employer of the Year.’ It was fantastic to be recognised as a leading business for our commitment to developing our employees and future talent.
As part of the evening, Lee was also invited to deliver an overview of how apprentices are playing a crucial role across MGF’s engineering department and explained how the business supports their apprentices to develop the critical knowledge, skills and behaviours required of a professional Civil Engineer.
When asked about how and why MGF started to invest in apprentices, Lee explained the following:
“MGF’s Grass Routes apprenticeships programme first came to fruition in 2020. We wanted to find a new way of producing engineering talent that provided long-term sustainability for both the engineering department and the wider business.
I remember watching a programme about Manchester United’s Class of 92 and what Sir Alex Ferguson did with his academies. I decided that MGF could adopt a similar model, where we would look to build and grow from the ground up. We had a view of upskilling our technicians and engineers right out of high school, using the very high school I attended.
I quickly realised this could lead from college to university level and even directly link to professional development with the Institution of Civil Engineers, providing sustainability for the business, but more importantly a secure long-term career for the next generation of engineering talent.
Since its inception, our Grass Routes programme has been a huge success. In five years, we have supported 12 students in the local area to kickstart their careers. These students range from level 3 BTEC, up to level 6-degree apprenticeship level.
Its success has also inspired other areas of the business to invest in apprenticeships. Currently, MGF has a total of 24 staff enrolled on live apprenticeship schemes.
As a result of hiring more employees at apprenticeship level, we have joined the ever-growing 5% Club, a movement of employers who aspire to have 5% of the workforce in earn-and-learn positions.
Senior members of the engineering team and wider business now volunteer as GMCA enterprise advisors, helping people into apprenticeships, and working as ambassadors at school level, selling the benefits of an earning and learning system. We also work with colleges for T Level placements on an annual basis to exhaust the benefits from this as well.
To summarise what investing in apprentices has done for MGF, we’re growing a competent and expert-driven workforce who can deliver for the business, its customers, and the general public. Our Grass Routes programme guarantees a more sustainable future for our engineering arms of the business. Most importantly, we’re providing a realistic and prosperous career path for our employees where hard work is rewarded with opportunity and genuine career progression.
MGF would like to say a big congratulations to all the nominees and winners at the awards evening. We look forward to continuing our support with the University and helping grow the next generation.
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