People power

minator that unites us all - real people!

Some months ago, Ben Vasquez, production manager at Bedford-based Addmore Engineering contacted me saying that he would be running the London Marathon in memory of his late brother Adam and would I run a news story in the magazine after the event detailing how he got on.

Of course I was more than happy to do so. Ben ran the Marathon a couple of weeks ago and raised a fantastic £5,200 for the Samaritans - a charity that offered Adam an invaluable lifeline in his hour of need. Ben trained hard for the race and completed the gruelling 26 mile course in a very creditable four hours, four seconds. You can read all about Ben's achievements here. I actually met Ben and his Dad Frank at the recent MTA Gala Dinner held in Birmingham at the end of March and he was keen to sing the praises of all the companies who supported and sponsored him with his endeavours with a special thank you reserved for his work colleagues at Addmore. Take a look at the story on the website - it certainly puts things into perspective and is a stark reminder that, at the end of the day, no-one is indestructible.

Moving on, the May issue of PES will be hitting desks soon and the rather impressive image on the cover is a waste gas cooling hood manufactured by the WEC Group in Darwen, Lancashire, a company I visited recently. With 415 people on its books, WEC is a big employer in the area that through diversification and investment, has escalated its annual turnover to the heady heights of around £37 million. What I was encouraged by however is its commitment to apprenticeships and training through its own Training Academy. Check out the article here.

It's good to see more and more companies using apprenticeship schemes to not only safeguard their own futures but also ensure that skills are passed down from generation to generation. The Government can often be heard waxing lyrical about how they're promoting apprenticeships but I would like to hear from you the readers if you feel that the Government is doing enough?

Is the process of employing an apprentice a relatively simple process or is it shrouded in reams of red tape? Also, importantly, is the Government providing any financial incentives?

Please do let me know!