Yamazaki Mazak takes on 17 new apprentices in Worcester

Published by

Nicky Godding

Worcester-based Yamazaki Mazak UK has welcomed 17 new apprentices.

The apprentices began their training at the Worcestershire Group Training Association’s (WGTA) training centre in September, where they started learning the skills crucial to future CNC machining, electrical, mechanical and sheet metal working roles.

The 17 apprentices accepted onto the scheme are studying in socially distanced classrooms, in adherence with coronavirus-related restrictions. They will eventually move to work across multiple departments at Mazak’s European Headquarters in Worcester. All apprentices will complete an accredited apprenticeship pathway to Level 3, with the option for some students to complete a further top-up to HNC/D level.

Intake numbers have been unaffected by ongoing coronavirus-induced disruption, with the new class joining the existing 44 apprentices currently training with Mazak. The company has successfully trained more than 200 apprentices since the scheme began in 2011 – a figure set to increase with September’s intake.

Richard Smith, European Group Managing Director at Yamazaki Mazak, said: “The apprenticeship programme is a vital part of Mazak’s Worcester

ongoing commitment to the future of UK manufacturing. In these unprecedented times, developing a skilled workforce is vital to the continued success of any business, and our apprentices are key to this ongoing strategy.

"Indeed, a sizeable number of the workers currently employed at our Worcester site undertook a Mazak apprenticeship, highlighting how the scheme remains a cornerstone of our ongoing operations. With that in mind, I am thrilled to welcome our new group of students and wish them every success in their training and studies."

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.