Apprenticeship support is a 'gamechanger' for businesses

A FORMER apprentice and RAF veteran has set up his own company, with the aim of hiring one new apprentice every year.

- By ABIGAIL NICHOLSON

Mark Taylor formed MTP Gas in 2014 after working for himself for many years and four years ago, with a little help from the Tees Valley Combined Authority, he took on an apprentice. Now based in Acklam, Mark grew up in the Midlands and left school at 15 before spending three years in an apprenticeship.

He then joined the RAF for almost nine years before working for himself. With the help of business support from the Combined Authority, MTP Gas is now taking on more work - with two Teesside apprentices on its books. The 51-year-old now has ambitions to take on a new apprentice every year.

He said: "I had apprentices, but it never seemed to work when we did it. I approached the Mayor to see if there was help available and he put me onto the team to help through the process.

"The authority helped set up the interviews. We whittled it down to about six and did the interviews from there. The funding from the Tees Valley was brilliant."

Mark feels that apprenticeship schemes are key to securing a future workforce and talent pipeline that are equipped with the specialist skills needed for his sector to succeed.

He said: "Unless there are employers willing to invest, which I have done, we're not going to have a future.

"The average age of a gas fitter at the moment is between 50 and 55, which is just not sustainable for the industry."