Rachel Far and Colin Williams

Hoppecke Industrial Batteries has hired the first two employees through its new apprenticeship scheme.

Colin Williams, 28, was a battery builder working in a warehouse when Hoppecke presented him with an apprenticeship in battery engineering, working with service manager Tony Robinshaw. This opportunity could see Williams becoming an on-the-road service engineer, repairing batteries and forklift chargers on site, and he could eventually become a service manager.

"The job I'm doing now is more technical than being a battery fitter," Williams says, "and it's something I wanted to do since I started working here. But I was keen to start off from the beginning, work my way up and understand how it all works."

The second new employee is Rachel Far, 19, who joined Hoppecke as a purchase ledger trainee straight from college. "It was a great opportunity so I was delighted when I got onto the scheme. It's good. I'm really enjoying it," she says.

Hoppecke believes that practical training is the most important component of an apprenticeship and theoretical training deepens and anchors the knowledge gained from on-the-job training. A mentor is also a key factor in the scheme, giving apprentices guidance and following their progress.

Hoppecke Industrial Batteries' UK sales and operations director David Millett says: "The logistics sector affects everybody's lives - what they eat, what they wear, transport systems - but it doesn't get the attention that, say, the manufacturing industry receives. We really need to see a much stronger emphasis on apprenticeships in logistics.

"That's why we believe in giving our young people the best possible support to enable them to reach their full potential. Colin and Rachel are just two examples and we aim to bring on many more apprentices in 2012."

The scheme is designed to bring young people into the motive and rail battery manufacturing and servicing industry and give them a rewarding career in the sector.