DERITEND CELEBRATES 50-YEAR’S EMPLOYMENT FOR 1957 APPRENTICE- AND SCHEME THAT IS STILL PRODUCING ENGINEERS TODAY.
When Roger Wilson joined Deritend in Luton as an apprentice, the Soviet Union had just launched the world’s first man-made satellite, the Sputnik, into space. The year was 1957. Fast forward to 2007, and Roger has just retired after 50-years’ service with Deritend. Moreover, the Deritend apprenticeship scheme that he joined all those years ago is still firmly in place, and celebrating 50-years’ of producing the next generation of electro-mechanical engineers.
Roger Wilson left school at the age of 15, and went straight to Deritend in Luton as a motor winding apprentice. Today, the repairing and rewinding of electric motors (up to 12 ½ tonnes) is still one of Deritend’s primary activities, but from different premises, the company moving to its present Shoolbred works 5-years’ after Roger Wilson joined the company in 1962.
The essential grounding in electrical and mechanical engineering principles provided by the Deritend apprenticeship scheme, meant that Roger advanced quickly and by 1975 – still aged only 32 – he became manager of Deritend’s Transformer Repair section. Later, he moved into the Aviation Windings department which he helped the development process of a business which was recently sold to AEM.
In 1997 he was entrusted with the implementation and operation of Deritend’s BS5750 Quality systems, gaining ISO 9001:2000 accreditation. He then became health and safety manager officer, and finally, added Quality and Logistics to his list of responsibilities.
“There have been many challenges during my 50-years’ with Deritend, but I can say, honestly, that I have enjoyed them all,” said Roger. “Obviously, a lot has changed over the last 50-years’; but the work ethic of doing things right first time that I learned as an apprentice, plus the fundamental engineering and electrical principles that I was taught by Deritend and at college, have always stood me in good stead with regard to understanding and adapting to change within the business.”
Roger’s 50-year anniversary is also shared by the Deritend apprenticeship scheme. To this day Deritend have two fully-sponsored apprentices working for them 3-days’ a week; with the remaining two-day’s being spent at college studying electronics. Refreshingly, in an economy with an increasingly narrow “profits-only” focus, Deritend do not impose any strictures on the apprentices, as to their future employment, upon successful completion of their courses.
“We only want people working for Deritend that are really committed,” commented Mike Smith, General Manager of Deritend’s Luton Branch. “Investing in apprenticeships is expensive, of course, but we choose our people carefully, and the investment is certainly paying off, when Deritend can be seen going from strength to strength. To illustrate this, we are at this moment looking at building a new facility in Luton to cope with increased demand from new business areas, like our pump and pump motor repairs facility, which are complementary to our existing operations and enable us to transfer our core electrical and mechanical skills into new profit areas.”
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For further information contact: Felicity Round, Marketing Department, The Deritend Group Ltd, Cyprus Street Off Upper Villiers Street, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV2 4PB Tel: 01902 – 392315 E-mail: fround@deritend.co.uk WEB: www.deritend.co.uk
Deritend Luton, Shoolbred Works, Cumberland Street, Luton, Bedfordshire LU1 3BP Tel : +44 (0) 1582 729301 Fax : +44 (0) 1582 729977 e-mail:luton@deritend.co.uk
Contact :Mike Smith, General Manager e-mail: msmith@deritend.co.uk
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