Express Engineering, a global leader in innovative manufacturing, assembly and testing solutions for the subsea oil and gas industry, has appointed six new apprentices as it continues to invest to support growth and engineering excellence.
The move sees Cameron Gray from Wideopen, Alex Dickens from Sunderland, Rafe Robbins from Durham, Finlay Crawford from Washington, Jamie Taylor from Stanley, and Matthew Moralee from Gateshead join as the latest group of engineering apprentices based at the company’s engineering and R&D facilities in the North East. They will be honing their skills working on the job for the next four years while completing their classroom studies at training provider TDR’s school.
There are currently 22 apprentices at Express Engineering, gaining the technical and commercial training and skills needed to support their careers as the company looks to expand its presence in the global subsea oil and gas supply chain sector over the next few years.
More than 130 apprentices have been through Gateshead-based Express Engineering’s apprenticeship programme since the company was started in 1973. This latest intake comes as the business has continued to maintain a resilient performance during the pandemic and invests further in workforce skills training and development. It currently employs more than 200 people across its operations and predicts revenues in excess of £35m for 2020.
Gary Thirlwell, managing director of Express Engineering, who started his own career as an apprentice, said: “We are investing strongly in developing our apprenticeship programme to ensure that we will have apprentices of the highest calibre in place as we grow. “This will see our workforce equipped well into the future with the skills and expertise needed to ensure that we can continue to compete in global markets and provide customers with top quality products and services.” Elsewhere, Express Engineering recently gained the prestigious international health and safety award ISO 45001. Secured in the face of Covid-19 and tough lockdown restrictions, it demonstrates the company’s commitment to developing effective controls and procedures for a safe working environment at its Team Valley engineering and R&D facilities.
ISO 45001, which replaces OHSAS 18001, is a global standard, covering occupational health and safety, providing a framework to improve employee safety, reduce workplace risks and create better working conditions, focusing on a proactive approach to improving safety performance.
Working with customers like TechnipFMC, Baker Hughes and Aker Solutions, Express Engineering is a significant exporter of products, operating within various geographical areas, including the North Sea, Gulf of Mexico, east coast of Brazil, east and west coasts of Africa and Australasia.
