Electrical control panel designer and manufacturer Bensons Control Panels has recruited two new apprentices, with a third due to start shortly, after the firm has raised its profile with schools, students and their teachers through its involvement with the Leeds Manufacturing Festival.

Family-owned business Bensons, which was founded in 1961 and employs 45 people, produces control panels for a diverse range of customers including big names like Honeywell, for whom Bensons have delivered a host of high-profile building management projects, including several for AstraZeneca.

Working across a wide range of industry sectors, Bensons has supplied control panels to the likes of  Center Parcs in Ireland and the 2022 Commonwealth Games swimming pool in Birmingham via its client FT Leisure. Other key sectors include electric vehicle charging, distributed energy and automation systems.

Like many manufacturing and engineering firms, the age profile of Benson’s workforce makes it vital for the business to recruit new talent and the company has run an apprenticeship programme since 2019. It currently employs four apprentices, with two former apprentices now qualified.

However, recruiting new apprentices has been challenging over the years, according to Bensons director Matthew Barton. “We have always been committed to recruiting for the future but finding good apprentices has previously been really difficult and one year we didn’t succeed in recruiting any new apprentices at all.

“We became involved with the Leeds Manufacturing Festival last year and through the various careers events and close links with schools and colleges that the festival promotes, young people are now much more aware of us as a potential employer – with the great result that we have already taken on two apprentices this month, with a third set to join us shortly.”

New apprentices Ethan and Ellis will work towards a Level 3 engineering fitter qualification at Bensons over the next three years. A blend of classroom learning, at the AMRC training Centre at Sheffield University, and workplace training is designed to give the boys the ideal skills to forge a rewarding career in engineering and manufacturing.

“As a business, our ethos is very much that if we want to attract good people and retain them, we have to ensure we are an outstanding employer,” says Matthew. “That’s why we pride ourselves on the support we give our apprentices who are made welcome as members of the team from day one.”

Bensons’ commitment to providing an outstanding apprenticeship scheme has led directly to the firm being awarded the highest ‘gold standard’ Excellent Employer status in the new Engineering Apprenticeships: Excellent Employers online platform created by the Next Gen Makers kitemarking organisation, which delivers a national quality assurance programme for engineering apprenticeships.

The new platform, which signposts young people and their careers advisers to the best engineering apprenticeship schemes on offer in their area, launched at this year’s Leeds Manufacturing Festival.

“We put a huge amount of effort into ensuring our apprentices have a great experience, feel valued and fulfilled, and ultimately want to stay on and develop their career with Bensons. It’s great that the new guide and the Leeds Manufacturing Festival itself gives us and other employers with thriving apprenticeship schemes the chance to stand out from the crowd,” adds Matthew.