Sycamore Process Engineering has showcased its commitment to continue team development by joining The 5% Club, an industry-led initiative focused on driving momentum into the recruitment of apprentices, graduates, and sponsored students.
The 5% Club, initiated by Leo Quinn, Group CEO of Balfour Beatty in 2013, is a movement of more than 500 employers providing ‘earn and learn’ opportunities to develop the skills and talents people need to become more employable and create meaningful careers.
Companies joining The 5% Club commit to raising the number of apprentices, sponsored students, and graduates on formal programmes to 5% of their total workforce within five years. Members are also asked to publicly report their progress in their Annual Report. Existing members range from SMEs to FTSEs and cover several diverse industries, from engineering through to the legal sector.
Sycamore Process Engineering signed The 5% Club charter as it believes that developing the younger generations not only supports the business, but also the engineering industry. Located in a rural area (Sparkford, Somerset), it is becoming increasingly important to prevent urban migration and develop the talents of those locally. Sycamore currently has over 5% of its workforce enrolled in an apprenticeship or graduate scheme and encourages its whole team to focus on personal development.
Jerry Redman (pictured on main page), Managing Director, said: “As a business with our eye very much on our longevity, we are painfully aware of the demand for future work skills and therefore, must prepare now to assure our growth and survival. We see The 5% Club as an innovative platform that will breathe further life into our existing apprenticeships, training and development plans ensuring that we respond to the fast emerging next skills gap.”
Gill Cronin, Director of Operations of The 5% Club, added: “We’re delighted to welcome Sycamore Process Engineering Limited into our membership. The 5% Club provides a fantastic network of HR professionals, sharing and learning from each other. All our members share an ethos of creating a skilled workforce through ‘earn and learn’ development programmes, helping people develop meaningful career paths.”
Join Somerset Chamber of Commerce to give your business a stronger voice both locally, regionally and nationally. Combined with local town chambers, we represent over 2,000 businesses across Somerset with a direct line to policy-makers at all levels.
