Aprolis UK celebrates next generation of talent at inaugural Apprenticeship Awards

The event, which was held at Heart of England Conference and Events Centre in Coventry, welcomed the company’s apprentices from across the country, including 10 new apprentices as part of their induction, celebrating those who have demonstrated exceptional performance and professional growth either over the past year or across the period of their apprenticeship.

The awards showcased the depth of talent rising through the company’s three-year programme, which currently supports 36 apprentices across 12 out of Aprolis UK’s 16 depots nationwide.

Year One, Year Two, and Year Three apprentice winners and runners-up were all recognised on the day, along with four graduates who officially completed their apprenticeships and are now embarking on full-time engineer roles within the company. 

Each winner and runner-up received a trophy to take home that was supported by several long-term partners of Aprolis UK, namely JCT600, TVH, Halfords, Espek Batteries and F-TEC. Graduates also were awarded with certificates and tool vouchers. 

During the afternoon of the event, the apprentices took part in a team-building session, which featured a host of outdoor challenges such as clay pigeon shooting, archery, axe throwing, and Segway racing. 

"As someone who began my own career as a 16-year-old engineering apprentice, I know first-hand how crucial a great apprenticeship can be, as do many of those within the company who began as apprentices themselves," said Steve Shakespeare, CEO of Aprolis UK. 

"It’s a fundamental part of Aprolis Group’s overall strategy to future-proof the business at a time when the materials handling industry is grappling with a significant talent shortage and an ageing workforce. While we’ve had a programme in place for some time, it has significantly expanded in recent years, particularly since being acquired by Aprolis Group in 2021.

"With both the backing of Aprolis Group and the support of our parent company we have supercharged the scale and quality of the programme, which now supports apprentices not just in engineering, but in wider roles across the business as well. We are incredibly proud of the standards we set and with the help of our parent company, the dedication of our depot managers who mentor our apprentices, and the fantastic relationship we have with the F-TEC Training Centre, we are collectively building a truly comprehensive pathway for young people to thrive," he added.

Aprolis UK’s apprenticeship programme has been intrinsically designed to nurture the next generation of engineers, blending academic training with hands-on experience across the company’s national depots, under the day-to-day mentorship of the company’s depot managers and engineer mentors, with a strong focus on practical engineering skills and professional development. 

The programme includes dedicated learning blocks at the F-TEC Training Centre in Swindon, the UK and Europe’s only specialist training centre for both forklift truck and powered access engineering, where apprentices attend five times a year to receive intensive, hands-on training on forklift trucks and powered access equipment.

Each block is carefully structured to combine practical engineering exercises with assessments of academic performance, professional behaviour, attendance, and attitude that are continually monitored by the depot managers across Aprolis UK’s network.