Alan Carter, Aqua engineer (left) with Joe Barnes.
Based in Crewe, Joe will work alongside Aqua engineer Alan Carter, visiting sites, meeting and supporting customers and gaining a hands-on understanding of the day to day world of a refrigeration engineer. In addition, Joe will study for his Level 3 Refrigeration & Air Conditioning (RAC) qualification at Dudley College. The course will cover theoretical and practical training on different applications and the principles and practices behind them.
Aqua worked with The Solent Apprenticeship Hub to recruit Joe as part of the Transfer to Transform initiative. The scheme uses unspent levy from large companies to support SME businesses to train and upskill apprenticeships. Jodi Fair, manager, Solent Apprenticeship hub manager, explained: “Transfer to Transform offers the perfect opportunity to cut the cost of apprenticeship training entirely for SME’s in the region – we are so pleased that businesses such as Aqua have seized the opportunity. Many of the businesses we have worked with said that introducing an apprentice into the business gives the workforce a fresh perspective, motivates the rest of the team and improves the overall productivity of the staff. Utilising apprenticeships can be revolutionary for businesses.”
Rebecca Ogburn, Aqua Group’s HR manager added: “We’re delighted to have Joe on board. Apprenticeships are such an important factor in developing talent and nurturing a skilled and qualified workforce and I’m so pleased that Aqua have been able to participate in the TTT initiative with fantastic support from the Solent Apprenticeship Hub.”