A survey of British Industrial Truck Association (BITA) members shows 45% of senior managers in UK forklift companies started their careers as engineering apprentices.

Conducted in late January and early February to support National Apprenticeship Week, the survey was based on a poll of the 25 companies making up BITA's Truck Suppliers Group (TSG).

BITA president and UK director of Doosan Industrial Vehicle UK Tim Waples, whose career started with an apprenticeship, says a proper apprenticeship is not merely a training course but a true career path leading right to the top.

"It's vital that we engage with employers and colleges to promote the opportunities that are available to pursue satisfying and rewarding careers," Waples says.

Last November, BITA opened the BITA Academy, a dedicated, branded apprenticeship training facility operated in conjunction with City of Bristol College, one of the country's leading automotive training centres.

"There is a tangible need for fresh blood in the forklift industry," says James Clark, secretary-general of BITA. "The existing engineer workforce is ageing and retiring faster than new recruits are coming in. With an estimated 250,000 forklifts currently operating in the UK, playing a vital role in the supply chains that maintain our modern world, we must be able to maintain safe and efficient operation."

BITA Academy program training manager Karl Baum adds: "At a time when the numbers of young people not in education or employment are rising, the BITA Academy offers committed young people not only high-quality training in essential maintenance and repair techniques, but also the skills required to pursue a real career all the way to management level."

The BITA Academy is one in a series of initiatives from BITA and its UK counterpart, the FLTA, providing forklift engineering options to suit the full range of companies and students, accommodating every type of business that needs to maintain forklifts.

BITA is unveiling a new suite of 'forklift apprentices at work' videos to help promote the image of forklifts and engineering as a career choice for young people. See http://www.bita.org.uk/apprenticeships.htm.