Oxfordshire County Council have worked closely with employers in the south of the county to build closer links with schools and encourage young people to think about apprenticeships as an alternative route into careers which may traditionally have involved full time study at university. Crowcon have been delighted to be part of this initiative for the last 3 years, educating and inspiring over 100 pupils aged 14/15.Indeed, the 2 Millionth Apprentice who came from Oxfordshire was recognised by government in December 2014, had been one of the initial participants on this program!

The world of work can often feel very far removed from the school environment. It can be difficult for young people to understand the vast array of career options which may be available to them. Unless they have friends or families who work in engineering, they may not have considered this environment as something to which they could be well suited.

With contributions from colleagues in Research & Development, Supply Chain, Manufacturing Engineering, Production, Marketing,  Customer Support and HR,  this week Crowcon hosted an event at our new premises on Milton Park for 25 Year 10 pupils from 5 local schools to show the range of professions to be found within a successful UK engineering manufacturer.

Through an intro to our Lifesavers focus, interactive games, factory tours, ‘meet the experts’ and taking apart/putting together one of our most popular products, we were delighted to bring to life the wide range of careers available to those who are interested in STEM subjects, potentially taking to these to A Level and beyond, or who may like to follow an apprenticeship route.  Recruitment starts soon for our next apprentices to join us in September.

Opportunities to join us come at all levels, from apprentices or production technicians to manufacturing or development engineers. Our employees also work in sales and marketing, finance, IT and purchasing. We recognise that, by creating an agile workforce through open collaboration, training and development, with internal mobility and opportunity for progression, we strengthen our capacity for innovation and will continue to deliver excellent customer service into the future.