Intelect Tops Teesside For Training And Apprenticeships At Inaugural Awards Ceremony
It was a night of celebration for Middlesbrough engineering company, Intelect as they added another award to their trophy cabinet, this time at the inaugural Tees Business Awards, taking home the Training and Apprenticeships Award.
The event, which took place for the first time at Hardwick Hall Hotel and saw local artist Mackenzie Thorpe deliver an inspirational key note speech, was organised by Tees Business with the aim of celebrating the very best performers on the Teesside business scene.
Up against some tough competition in Sembcorp Energy UK and Stockton-On-Tees Employment & Training Hub, it was down to the category sponsor and Middlesbrough College’s CEO and Principal, Zoe Lewis to reveal Intelect as the winner.
Celebrating 25 years of their award-winning apprenticeship programme this year, Business Operations Manager, Lily Brothwood and Quantity Surveyor and Degree Apprentice, Jordan Whelpton were on hand to accept the award on the evening.
Lily said, “This award is testimony to the quarter of a century Intelect has dedicated to supporting its staff, apprentices and the next generation. Our founding directors, all of whom were time-served apprentices, understood the impact that investing in people can bring to a workforce, and have ingrained these values into their business.
“They have spent their time, effort and resources in growing their own workforce over the last 25 years, with their ethos always being ‘train to retain’. Last year, over 75% of our workforce received some kind of training or apprenticeship, and in return we’re seeing strong retention rates, which we hope will continue.
She continued, “Investing in the next generation is also a key part of our strategy, and we continue to work with organisations like Power Of Women, Spark Tees Valley and High Tide Foundation to provide positive role models and insightful experiences which really inspire our region’s future workforce.”
Degree apprentice, Jordan is one of the many success stories to come from Intelect’s apprenticeship programme. Initially joining as a Level 2 Accounts Apprentice in 2018, he’s since progressed with his studies, achieving his Level 4 qualification before embarking on a new career path in Quantity Surveying.
When talking about his learning experience with Intelect, Jordan said, “The knowledge, experience, and qualifications that I have gained whilst working at Intelect has opened doors that I never thought I could. I’m really looking forward to seeing how I can further progress in my new role. I would recommend any apprenticeship to anyone!”
Intelect work with a variety of training partners to deliver their award-winning apprenticeship programme, and last year were ranked 17th in the Apprenticeships Top 50 SMEs in England.
Applications to join their next apprenticeship intake will open in July, with a variety of roles on offer. Visit www.intelectuk.com/apprenticeships for more information.
Image credit: Tees Business / Chris Booth