Engineering SME Davicon Group recently successfully retained the Gold standard ‘Excellent Employer’ status for the Engineering Apprenticeships: Employer Accreditation for a third year running.
The accreditation, ran by Next Gen Makers and backed by national manufacturing organisation Make UK, recognises the Black Country based SME as being among one of the best employers in the UK for engineering apprenticeships.
The positivity is compounded by the fact that Davicon Group has successfully retained all but one of their apprentices over the past 8 years.
This success can be attributed not just to a dedication from the SME to its’ apprenticeship scheme, but an authentic people focused culture that extends throughout the group.
Next Gen Makers recently sat down with Peter Watson, Group Managing Director to learn more.
Watson explains: “Davicon Group has a rich heritage with regards to apprenticeships. Many of our current Directors and long-standing employees started out as apprentices. Some individuals have more than 40 years’ service with the business.
“For me it is simple, our people are what makes the difference in the business. An ethos that has always stuck with me came from my Dad, who regarding material possessions once told me: ‘buy the best you can with the money available and look after it, because if you look after it, it will last a long time’. In business, my view is that this ethos relates to people too.
“We have always looked after our people, creating progression pathways within the business for employees to work towards and providing developmental and educational opportunities; from apprenticeships, to The Open University or University.
“Simon Dudley for example, who is a Director at one of our group company’s, first came in as a Technical apprentice at 18 years of age. Over subsequent years, supported by the business he attained a BEng via the Open University and progressed to director level.
“As a leader, the biggest pleasure for me is seeing employees grow up during their time within the group. Over the years, we’ve seen apprentices that came to us at 17 or 18 years of age go on to get married and start families”.
Almost 100 people are employed across the Davicon Group, including 8 current apprentices spanning craft, technical and office-based roles.
Peter continues: “We currently have numerous outstanding apprentices. We make sure that they integrated well within the business and understand the value of respect, as well as their responsibilities as part of a close working team. We are rigid with discipline but in return people respect it.
“The way that we treat apprentices is no different to how we treat all of the workforce. Our culture is rooted in the way we look after our people. We pay fair salaries, implement cost of living increases and have bonus structures in place. We give people the attention that they need as individuals.
“In return, I think we are very lucky to be a Black Country business. It is an industrial heartland. People in this region really care and generally speaking if you care for them, they care back for you. We take pride in caring for employees. For example, when employees have been seriously unwell, or needed months out of the business to recover, we’ve been there for them. People do remember and this loyalty is reciprocated”.
Looking forward, despite recent Government policies imposing the same negative impact on overheads that any SME will be feeling the brunt of, Watson says Davicon Group are steadfastly committed to their apprenticeship scheme.
He concludes: “We are committed to apprenticeships strategically as a group, we’ll be taking 2-3 new apprentices on this year and have 3 current apprentices that we have definitive career paths into senior management mapped out for.
“Others are working to well defined plans, they are our workforce of the future. Like most businesses, our overheads are negatively impacted by the NI increases, but as a company policy we already choose to pay our apprentices between £1 and £1.50 more than the recommended hourly rate.
“We have only ever lost one apprentice, which being truthful was beyond our control anyway, and we are very proud of that record. We understand that some times people need age, maturity and time”.