A West Midlands manufacturer has launched its own in-house training scheme and embarked on a recruitment drive after securing £1m worth of contracts.
Brandauer, one of the largest contract presswork and stamping specialists in Europe, is aiming to treble the size of its apprenticeship programme by tackling the skills' shortage with an investment of £150,000 in its 'Improvers' scheme.
The Birmingham-based business said it was struggling to find the right candidates for roles such as team leader and toolmaker.
READ MORE: {}
Bosses at Brandauer said needed to do more to promote the benefits of working for a smaller manufacturer as it felt large, original equipment manufacturers were dominating recruitment.
Sales and marketing director Rowan Crozier said: "Like many SMEs, we feel we offer a great place to work.
"There are lots of development opportunities, the chance to work across many markets and areas of the business and learn on the latest processes and technology.
"Despite all of this, we are struggling to fill a few key positions and feel part of this is down to people not fully understanding what they can achieve by working for a smaller manufacturer.
"It's not the Government's job to change their perceptions, it's down to us and the rest of industry to play our part."
Most Read
The Improvers scheme involves targeting a mixture of industry professionals looking to upskill and mature people considering swapping roles for a career in manufacturing.
Brandauer said this would be supplemented by its new apprenticeship programme which had been developed to be more flexible and rewarding for both parties.
Each learner will receive 12 months of off-the-job training with providers including In-Comm and EEF before returning to the company for three further years of shop floor experience.
It currently employs three apprentices and has plans to have 10 on his books by the end of 2015.
The Birmingham Post has launched a free app for iPad and iPhone.