Silver anniversary for engineering SME with commitment to apprenticeships

If anyone understands the value of apprenticeships and the importance of on-the-job training, it is John Thompson, Fran Cormican and Bob Shaw, of electrical and mechanical engineering company, Intelect.

Having all started their careers as apprentices, the founders and directors of the Middlesbrough-based company, which celebrates 25 years in October 2022, have invested in more than 100 young people, providing meaningful careers and progression through an award-winning apprenticeship programme. Many of those apprentices are still employed by Intelect today, working within the process, renewables and other heavy industries on a range of engineering projects.

The ECITB has worked with Intelect since 2009, providing advice, guidance and grant support for upskilling and maintaining the current skills of their workforce and its award-winning apprenticeship programme.

In the same week as its 25th anniversary, the team at Intelect had more to celebrate, winning three awards for their commitments to apprenticeships and training. The company bagged the Apprenticeships, Training and Skills trophy at the North East Business Awards, plus the SME Employer of the Year and Recruitment Excellence of the Year prizes at the North East Region National Apprenticeship Awards. The company is also a previous winner of SME of the Year at the ECI Training and Development Awards (pictured left) in 2019. Intelect find themselves in the running again, nominated as SME of Year at the ECITB’s awards in November 2022.

The Intelect story began in 1985, when Fran and John both started apprenticeships, working for a shop-fitting company in Middlesbrough.

“It was a small company but gave a really good introduction to working life and hands-on experience with great individuals,” said John.

“After our apprenticeships, we went to work for another local company in Stockton-on-Tees, which saw us working with more heavy industry clients in the food industry. It was another string to our bows – great experience and very different from shop fitting. Both of us progressed through the ranks, with Fran becoming a project manager and myself a senior supervisor.”

When the company was faced with collapse in 1997, John (pictured left) and Fran (pictured right) spotted an opportunity and decided to set up on their own, taking on some of their former clients including Nestle and Terry’s of York.

“We set up Intelect in a small one-room office above the local radio station in Middlesbrough. We worked 12-hour shifts, and then spent our evenings trying to get to grips with all other aspects of running a company. I was an electrician by trade and the whole thing was a baptism of fire,” said John.

Overcoming the many challenges of starting a new business, Intelect went from strength to strength in just a few years, investing in its staff, infrastructure and capabilities as it responded to the needs of a growing client list which now includes PEPSICO, KP Snacks, Nestle, Tetley, McCain, United Biscuits, and Northumbrian Water to name a few.

In 2010, a long-held ambition was realised when the company bought and regenerated a three-acre plot at Riverside Park in Middlesbrough. Intelect Court now comprises four buildings, housing 137 of the company’s 250 employees, with plans to expand even more with apprentices contributing to that growth.

With the support of the ECITB, Intelect works with a number of training providers, including Middlesbrough College, Hartlepool College and JTL. A more recent collaboration is with Teesside University, through which the company now offers a nationally-recognised apprenticeship degree. The first cohort of electrical engineers is currently underway.

“Having started our own careers as apprentices, we have always appreciated the value of training for school leavers and the huge benefits it can offer. Not everyone wants to or can afford to go to university so in 1998, just a year after we founded Intelect, we set up our own apprenticeship programme at a time when it was not fashionable and there was not much support available”, said John.

“We usually take on an average of four or five new electrical apprentices every year and one or two in other departments, however this year we’ve taken on a record number of eight electrical apprentices. So far, more than 100 apprentices have successfully completed their training with us and of those, 54% are still with us today, while almost a fifth now hold a management role.”

Intelect’s current roster of apprentices with Director Fran Cormican and HR Manager Jennifer Watts (centre) at Riverside Park in Middlesbrough.

“We usually take on an average of four or five new electrical apprentices every year and one or two in other departments, however this year we’ve taken on a record number of eight electrical apprentices. So far, more than 100 apprentices have successfully completed their training with us and of those, 54% are still with us today, while almost a fifth now hold a management role.”

Intelect also have an annual Apprentice of the Year Award, which was set up in memory of former employee and mentor Charlie Baker, who sadly died in 2014.

“Apprenticeships have become a very important part of our business, allowing us to expand our capabilities and reach. We recognise their skills and their strengths, and we help direct them. As a result, we now have apprentices in all corners of our business at a range of educational levels, offering innovative ideas and new perspectives.

“Our retention rate is high – we have apprentices who have started with us straight from school, who have stayed, and have since married and had families and now their children are apprentices with us too. All of them provide valuable support to Intelect and we are immensely proud of them all.”

Chris Claydon, ECITB Chief Executive, said: “Congratulations to Intelect on their 25th anniversary.

“They are a great example of an SME which uses ECITB support to the full to deliver effective training and development for their staff, including offering careers opportunities to young people from the local area.

“With employers in all sectors struggling to fill vacancies, growing the workforce has never been more challenging. Intelect show how a smaller employer can pave the way by developing its own talent pipelines and, in doing so, boosting the skills base of the industry.”