RNAS Yeovilton
- Station repairs and maintains military aircraft
- Established apprenticeship scheme in 2001
- Scheme has double the national retention rate
At the Royal Naval Air Station in Yeovilton, Serco's long-term commitment to the local community is clear to see. The company has 300 employees at the site, delivering services ranging from the repair and maintenance of aircraft - such as AgustaWestland Lynx and Sea King helicopters returning from combat duty - to fuel delivery and engine support.
And when, in 2001, its managers identified a looming skills shortage in the local job market, Serco established the Advanced Apprenticeship scheme. Accredited to deliver National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) up to Level 4 standard across a range of engineering and management areas, the initiative secured government approval and funding from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and its first intake of students - all recruited from the local community - entered training in 2002.
Typically, around 10 applications are received for each place on the three-year course. Of the 11 students who passed the course in July 2006, nine remain in full-time employment with Serco, one has become an Air Engineering Technician in the Royal Navy and one is studying for an Aerospace Engineering degree, funded by Serco and with the guarantee of full-time employment for at least a year after graduation.
A further eight apprentices have completed the course in the last two years. Six are now working at the site, one works for an aerospace company in Northern Ireland and one has been sponsored by Serco to read a Masters Degree in Aerospace Engineering with Management. Thirteen more apprentices are currently undergoing training and such has been the success of the programme - at 92%, its retention rate is almost double the national average for such schemes - that Roy Lusted, Contract Support and Training Manager, is now involved in a working group that is investigating the feasibility of establishing similar schemes for other Serco operations around the UK.
"This has been a flag waver for apprenticeships and a great asset," says Roy. "We want these people to become tomorrow's engineers, supervisors and managers."