Horn Cutting Tool apprentice scoops accolade

Alex joined Horn in September 2010, following an introductory course with Paragon. He is now in the second year of a three-year apprenticeship programme. This comprises a combination of in-house training at Horn's Ringwood factory and day release at Paragon's training facilities in Bournemouth. He was selected for the award from a class of around 35 apprentices. Alex says: "When I left school, I did look into engineering apprenticeships, but the number of companies offering them is small. The big advantage of the course operated by Paragon was that it gave me a grounding in basic skills and offered an introduction to companies that were supporting relevant apprenticeships. To be honest, I hadn't heard of Horn Cutting Tools before then, but it has turned out to be a really good opportunity." Paul Churchill, training officer for Paragon Skills explains: "Alex actually started with us on a full-time course and then got the job with Horn three months in. From the outset he has applied himself pretty well and qualified for his NVQ2 in about half the normal two-year spell. We've been very impressed by his enthusiasm, both to learn and to develop practical skills, hence the award of the trophy." The training program that Alex is pursuing will ultimately provide him with an NVQ3 and an Advanced Vocationally Related Qualification (AVRQ) with a skillset comprising general engineering knowledge, machine operation and CNC programming. The AVRQ will be tailored to the requirements of Horn Cutting Tools, with a view to a career with Horn. However, dependant on the grade achieved, the qualification can also enable apprentices to pursue higher level qualifications, such as an HNC/HND or a university degree. Mike Green, general manager of Horn Cutting Tools, comments: "We're very pleased with Alex's progress. We hope he can continue at the same level and help to encourage others along the same road. Until quite recently, apprenticeships were almost a forgotten qualification in the UK, whereas our parent company in Germany takes on around 40 every year for which there are always more than 200 applicants. At Ringwood, we currently have three, which is a significant proportion of our workforce, and more than many much larger engineering companies in the UK."