Investing in Skills for the Future

Through its new Skills for the Future programme, heating and ventilation specialist Nortek Global HVAC is committed to helping young people into work.

Brierley Hill-based Nortek – the UK arm of the global heating and ventilation organisation – has been investing in the scheme for the past 12 months, taking on five apprentices and an intern and providing two student summer work placements.  Now, the company is looking to recruit three more apprentices. 

Helen Hawkins, European HR Manager at Nortek Global HVAC, says:“Skills for the Future creates a balance between work and education and is good for the business as well as the young people we support.”

“Students become more commercially aware, as they benefit from a broad experience in a short space of time, and school-leavers are encouraged to consider earning while they learn through an apprenticeship. At the same time, we benefit from the different perspectives the young people bring and a welcome injection of fresh ideas.”

In a highly competitive employment market, Nortek believes work placements and internships help young people to stand out from the crowd.  When applying for jobs, the skills they have learnt and their improved knowledge of the business environment are likely to stand them in good stead with prospective employers.

Harriet Parker worked as an intern in Nortek’s HR and Marketing departments during the second year of her BA (Hons) degree in Business Studies.  As well as giving her an insight into the business world in general, the experience has helped her decide how she would like her career to develop.

Harriet says: “I thoroughly enjoyed my time working with Nortek. I was lucky enough to experience a variety of challenges before spending the last three months working on a

HR project.   

“The placement gave me an opportunity to contribute ideas on certain processes and help with assessment centres, personnel development programmes and business integrations. I’d like to thank Nortek for the support I received throughout my employment.  Everyone made me feel at ease from the very start and I feel the whole experience has contributed a great deal to my overall development.”

Opportunities have now arisen for three apprentices in Nortek’s IT, Service and R&D departments. The successful applicant for the IT role will work within the team that provides frontline support and will be involved in network and server projects, while the apprentice engineer will gain experience in maintenance in the gas, plumbing, refrigeration and HVAC sectors.  Using AutoCAD systems and working in Nortek’s in-house laboratory testing facilities, the R&D apprentice will be able to make a meaningful contribution to the design and development of existing and new products.

Anyone interested in applying for an apprenticeship with Nortek Global HVAC should email: hrhvaceu@nortek.com