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NIE Networks scoops best apprenticeship award at national CIPD People Management Awards

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30 Sep 2019

NIE Networks has been awarded Best Apprenticeship Scheme for 2019 at the national CIPD People Management Awards in London.

The event, which took place last week in London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, was a celebration of the outstanding achievements and contributions made by leading HR and Learning and Development professionals across the UK.

NIE Networks staved off competition from some of the UK’s leading business providers to scoop the coveted award, including, Openreach Lloyds Banking Group and BUPA.

The CIPD People Management Awards judges hailed NIE Networks for the integrated approach towards its Apprenticeship Programme and highlighted the clear success rate it has demonstrated with regards to staff development and progression.

Gordon Parkes, HR Director for NIE Networks commented;

“Whilst the NIE Networks Apprenticeship Programme has been well established in Northern Ireland for some time, we are thrilled that the initiative has now received UK-wide recognition by CIPD for its dedication to the development of our people.“

“Our dedicated Training Team, which is led by Technical Training Manager, Raymond McMenemy, provides top quality learning and development to our apprentices, the majority of whom stay with the business long-term and add significant value.”

NIE Networks invests in the region of £1 million annually in their technical training programme which provides an invaluable platform for trainees to launch their careers and is a great opportunity for apprentices to gain the highly specialised skills required to work on the electricity network.

Utilising the latest technologies and modern practices, the programme has been in operation for over 40 years and is the only Institute of Engineering and Technology-accredited scheme of its kind in Northern Ireland. 

The programme received IET accreditation in September 2016 and continues to retain the accolade of being the only IET approved apprentice programme in Northern Ireland. 

Alongside the chance to gain hands-on technical experience and work towards achieving a nationally- recognised qualification in Electrical Engineering, NIE Networks also offers a training salary to participants throughout the course of their apprenticeship.

Applications for the next NIE Networks Apprenticeship Programme intake will open in early 2020. More details can be found at the link below.

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