Andrew Stephenson, MP for Pendle, has toured flourishing local business Company Fuel Cards during National Apprenticeship Week, to learn how they have developed their own innovative Apprentice Academy in association with Nelson and Colne College.
Company Fuel Cards is a company flourishing in the difficult economic climate – thanks largely to its ethos of nurturing talent from within and encouraging its employees to strive for success. Keen to develop further, the company approached Nelson and Colne College for expert advice on how to attract the best applicants. After consultation, it was decided that the College would use its knowledge and expertise to advertise for and pre-screen applicants, before placing them in Company Fuels Card’s Apprentice Academy, which was designed and implemented with help from the College. This well thought out training programme has seen the first 8 Apprentices receive tailored training in their workplace from the College and imbedded a feeling of unity and fellowship with Company Fuel Cards.
To date, Company Fuel Cards have been thrilled with the success of the Apprentice Academy and the training delivered by Nelson and Colne College.
In fact, one of the Apprentices, who has been with the company only a short period, has achieved Sales person of the week!
With the Government keen to promote the importance of Apprenticeships, Company Fuel Card’s model of a highly successful Apprentice Academy, fully supported by Nelson and Colne College, was a fantastic example to use to highlight to our MP how local companies could utilise the apprenticeship frameworks to grow their own talent.
Andrew Stephenson said “I was delighted to visit Company Fuel Cards and see how closely they are working with Nelson and Colne College. I feel their Apprenticeship academy is a model for other employers to follow and exactly the kind of thing the government wants to encourage.”
Marian Davies, HR Manager at Company Fuel Cards said, “It was fantastic to be able to invite MP Andrew Stephenson to the offices today to meet with our young apprentices. At Company Fuel Cards, we really do believe in the importance of growing your own talent, and after consulting with the College it became clear that apprenticeships would be the ideal way for us to do this. We have been pleased by the superb quality of young people who have come to us on the Apprenticeship Academy and thrilled by the training provided by the College. It was important to us that the training delivered would reflect the nature of our business and the College was happy to tailor-make the programme to suit our apprentices, incorporating telemarketing and sales into the customer service framework. Not only have we found some exceptional young people, who we are sure will help Company Fuel Cards to continue to grow and thrive, but we are sure that they will also grow into their roles, and develop their careers with us.”
For more information about Company Fuel Cards, visit www.companyfuelcards.co.uk
