Northern Skills Group, the apprenticeship and training arm of Middlesbrough College, is supporting apprenticeship training at Olympic Tankwash as the company strives to provide not just jobs, but long-term career opportunities for young people.
The Billingham-based tank washing company has recruited 17-year-old Vladislavs Silcenknovs to follow in the footsteps of the company’s previous apprentices who have progressed to full-time permanent roles within the business.
After originally starting in a Level 1 Construction multi-skilled group, assessors at Northern Skills Group were astounded by Vladislavs’ commitment to learning and his determination to overcome challenges with maths and English so put him forward for the Cleaning and Support Services Level 2 apprenticeship at Olympic Tankwash.
Darren Thrower, Assessor at Northern Skills Group, said: “Vladislavs has demonstrated his perseverance not only with industry-specific skills such as working at heights and in enclosed spaces, but has vastly improved his academic learning with support from Northern Skills Group. He has certainly proved himself as an asset to the team at Olympic Tankwash.”
“Our apprenticeship and training experts support learners through on-the-job learning to gain invaluable knowledge and experience in their selected industry. Olympic Tankwash’s commitment to improving employment prospects for young people is inspiring and is a great example of how apprentices can contribute to a business’ future workforce.”
Olympic Tankwash provides services such as steam heating, steam cleaning and livery washing for road tankers to ensure there is no chemical contamination of tank contents when transporting different materials. The Cleaning and Support Services Level 2 apprenticeship allows learners to gain experience in working at heights, operating forklift trucks and working in enclosed spaces.
Prior to Vladislav joining the team Cory Parker, 23, also completed his apprenticeship with Northern Skills Group in 2017 and is now enjoying full-time employment at the company as a Wash Bay Operative.
David Giles, Managing Director at Olympic Tankwash, said: “At Olympic Tankwash, we are passionate about giving young people the opportunity to gain experience and skills in the workplace rather than from a textbook.
“With over 40 years’ experience in the industry, I have witnessed an increasing number of young people leaving education with no guaranteed employment opportunities. We are therefore committed to improving this and offering apprenticeships when there is a definite job at the end of it for the right candidate.”