Helping to engineer a brighter future

A global manufacturer, which first opened a Sunderland base 47 years ago, is injecting new talent into its workforce in the area.

Grundfos has recruited six apprentices, receiving useful support from Sunderland City Council.

The company, a manufacturer of pumps and pump solutions, employs more than 140 people at the plant and it is hoping that its new recruits will help support the continued growth of the business.

It received funding to meet the training costs of three of its six apprentices courtesy of Sunderland City Council’s Apprenticeship Levy Transfer Scheme.

Under the scheme, organisations that pay the Apprenticeship Levy – such as the city council – can transfer a proportion of any unspent levy to other employers to fund the training and assessment costs of new apprenticeship starts, which can be a new recruit or existing member of staff.

GrahamMoore,operations controlling partner at Grundfos, said: “We’ve always been a bigbelieverinapprenticeships and believe that all businesses, especially manufacturers, have a role to play in helping nurture the workers of the future.

“We had already planned to take on our six apprentices. However, after speaking to the teamatSunderlandCityCouncil and finding out we were eligible to receive support from the transfer scheme, we decided to look into it and were delighted with the result.

“Not only has the funding alleviated the financial commitment of taking on some of the apprentices, but it also means we’ll be in a better position to further extend our programme next year.”

Visit www.sunderland.gov. uk/apprenticeship-levy