HAE apprentices trained to 'Hire Standard'

Makita has devised and delivered a new training course for these apprentices as an integral module within the HAE’s 2-year training scheme. A further advanced module will be provided by Makita in the second year of the apprenticeship which will allow more specialisation within the power tool and grounds care machinery business.

The pilot scheme sees apprentices, taken on by HAE as a Recognised Training Provider, being placed with hire centres to gain knowledge of customer handling, booking and handover procedures and other facets of the tool rental operations. The apprentices are either recruited by hire centres expanding their staff level or through Job Centre Plus and then by interview with centres who are recruiting.

The Makita-developed module has embraced the general product knowledge that is delivered by the Makita Be Safe courses that have been running in construction colleges across the UK for the past 10 years. This teaches core health and safety factors and the main technical criteria of demolition and rotary hammer drills, percussion drills, core drills, angle grinders, chop saws and disc cutters. It also provides a grounding in appropriate tool selection, blade and bit choices and strong emphasis on correct and safe use.