August 2011 Update
A new exciting era has commenced for Vogal Industrial Training (part of the Vogal Group) and the West Anglia Training Association (WATA) who have now combined their significant forces and expertise to deliver both engineering and manufacturing apprenticeships. Until recently both companies have provided training under separate government supported contracts which have now been officially combined.
Our former close working relationships have now been cemented by the forming of a single contract agreement which was signed on 13th July 2011 at the WATA premises.
We are enthusiastic and confident that our clients and member companies will enjoy a wider range of improved courses, together with a single point of contact for the Skills Funding Agency, greater expertise in providing engineering and manufacturing training together with an expanded provision in the Greater Peterborough, Huntingdon and Cambridgeshire areas.
Ben Atkins, Vogal Group Chairman, praised the skills and commitment of Andrew Christodoulou and Richard Barnes (WATA) and Paul Wakefield (Vogal Industrial Training) for their efforts in formulating this significant agreement together, also adding that in his experience of working together with all parties, that he was extremely confident and proud that this milestone in the development of our business would prove to be mutually beneficial to everyone particularly our existing and future trainees.
Continuing with the theme of success for Vogal Industrial Training, the 15,000th trainee is about to pass through their doors since the Training Centre opened in September 1997. This number includes the wide variety of trainees that have diversified into different fields since the initial training remit of apprenticeships and other engineering related training.
The Vogal Group is pleased to announce that we have successfully been accredited through the Contractor Health And Safety Scheme (CHAS) at the first attempt. This is particularly pleasing as we have demonstrated that we have been working to and exceeding their requirements for some time. CHAS is dedicated to completing health and safety pre-qualification assessments to a nationally recognised and accepted standard. This accreditation, by the multi-sector leading body, demonstrates that the Vogal Group is compliant with health and safety law including the core criteria required by the CDM Regulations. Chas was created to improve the health and safety standards across Great Britain.
For the seventeenth consecutive month the Vogal Group has not had any lost time and/or reportable accidents or incidents. Considering the amount of hours that have been worked, the environments worked in and the high risk activities undertaken this is an excellent achievement. In fact, in the last four and a half years there have only been two LTA’s reported to the HSE. Whilst this is a good achievement, we must not rest on our laurels or become complacent. Well done to all concerned.
The above success can be accredited to the ongoing training programmes that the Vogal Group continues to undertake. To this end, an intensified training programme for senior supervisors is to be rolled out. Senior supervisors tend to be the first to arrive on site, they may be required to assist in unloading of vehicles etc. Therefore, to support the qualifications that some already hold and for those that do not hold these (due to recently joining the company); forklift truck, genie boom, aluminium scaffold tower and abrasive wheel training will be undertaken therefore increasing the flexibility of the workforce.
The employee of the month award was given to a member of the “Mechanical” team last month and he will be able to select tooling for himself up to the value of £100.00.
CARE IS OUR STRENGTH.
Published: 1st August 2011
Previous Page