Work Ready Programme TMOs honoured as shining award winners at Altrad

Altrad’s Inspire Awards provide a platform to highlight team members who have gone above and beyond, embodying the spirit of excellence. The Rising Star Award celebrates trainees, graduates, and apprentices who excel in their roles and show dedication and initiative beyond the workplace. This award recognises their professional development, skill-building, and contributions to their industry and community.

Given the incredible breadth of talent at Altrad, two exceptional individuals – Jack Coverdale and Paul Alp – were honoured with the Rising Star Award at Altrad’s 2024 Inspire Awards. Both Jack and Paul are Trainee Maintenance Operatives (TMOs) who joined Altrad through the ECITB’s Work Ready Programme.

The TMO scheme forms part of the ECITB’s Work Ready Programme, which is designed to tackle industry skills shortages and support individuals into employment. The collaborative and co-funded programmes have seen the ECITB partner with Altrad, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Local Authorities (Hampshire County Council and Tees Valley Combined Authority) and local training providers – including NETA Training, part of the Education Training Collective (Etc.), and Southampton Engineering Training Association (SETA) Training – to create a pipeline of new entrants to help address skills gaps in the engineering construction industry, with the ECITB’s Labour Forecasting Tool predicting a 28% increase in demand for workers by 2028.

Joining Altrad means being part of a forward-thinking company with a clear vision for the future. Altrad transforms the nation’s critical infrastructure to operate safely and sustainably, offering a culture where individuals can build fulfilling and lasting careers, providing their people with the opportunity to reach their full potential while cultivating the next generation of leaders. With over 11,000 talented people in the UK, Altrad delivers the full spectrum of critical engineering and construction services for both onshore and offshore industries. The business has ambitious plans for the future, achieving growth responsibly to build a company based on strength and stability.

Andrew Hockey, CEO at the ECITB, said: “The Work Ready programme rolled out across the UK, has been a real success bringing much-needed new talent into the industry. Growing new entrant pathways into the engineering construction industry is a key pillar in the ECITB’s strategy, Leading Industry Learning.

Both Jack and Paul are shining examples of the dedication, commitment and excellence shown by learners on the Work Ready Programme and reflect how the programme is making a real difference both to the individuals and the wider industry.

I would like to congratulate them on winning this award – it is truly deserved.”

Tony Jester, Executive Vice President of Strategic Projects at Altrad, added: “Altrad are proud to be a key sponsoring founder and partner of this scheme, and Jack and Paul’s achievements truly reflect the endless possibilities we offer our people and the remarkable success of the Work Ready Programme. Within a year, Jack and Paul have not only entered employment with Altrad but have also become shining award winners who have exceptionally bright futures ahead within our company.”

Sean Johnston, Director at NETA Training, said: “Seeing learners progress into employment has got to be the ultimate success for us as a training provider working to deliver the skills to meet real industry demand.”

Russ James, Operations Manager at SETA Training, commented: “The TMO Work Programme has been an outstanding success, with all candidates receiving offers for full-time positions within Altrad’s infrastructure. This initiative is not only addressing the current skills shortage in the engineering sector but also playing a pivotal role in nurturing the next generation of engineers.

Witnessing the transformation of these trainees into confident, skilled professionals has been incredibly rewarding. Their dedication and growth have been inspiring, and it’s a privilege to contribute to their promising, long-term careers at Altrad.”

L-R: John Walsh, Altrad’s CEO of UK, Ireland, Nordics & Poland, Paul Alp & Jack Coverdale