Auger launches training academy for engineers

 Engineers at market-leading drainage and water supply specialist Auger are seeing the benefits from a newly-launched training ‘academy.’

The Auger Academy is a specialist internal apprenticeship scheme aimed at supporting and developing the company’s external engineering team, and will help new staff and assistant engineers as they go through the training required to become lead engineers. Auger, based in Wallasey, Wirral, employs more than 100 staff including 60 highly-qualified engineers on the road across the UK.

Over the last 12 months, Auger has appointed more than 20 new employees, including both office and site-based staff, from engineers to assistant engineers and account managers. The company is also actively recruiting for additional external engineers – currently an additional seven are due to join in February. The training includes assistant engineers partnering with two ‘buddies’ – senior staff – and taking industry-specific courses in topics including health and safety, confined space, patch lining, water hygiene, moling and ground scanning. Internal staff have the option to take courses in areas including management. All staff can suggest training courses they are interested in to support their professional development, and will receive support from the business to complete it.

The academy is being supported by the launch of the Auger Hub – software which allows external staff to log in and access all necessary data including e-learning information to track their progress. Nicola Lyon, Head of Recruitment and staff development at Auger, said: “It has always been a priority for Auger to employ a direct labour workforce rather than relying on sub-contractors, to enable consistent quality and greater control for our clients . “Because of this approach we can be certain that our staff all have the necessary experience and qualifications to not only carry out their role properly, but to be at the leading edge of best practice in the industry. “Training is a vital part of staff development and we encourage our staff to put forward their suggestions for training which we will support and finance where possible. “The Auger Academy will help to formalise the structure we have in place and give staff a clear career path and route to becoming fully trained, more confident and giving them long term prospects in the industry. We have already had two engineers complete the training and we are all delighted with the results”