Annitsford-based aircraft management company, Naljets, has propelled four of its apprentices into full-time positions following the successful completion of their apprenticeships with the growing company.
Naljets provides aircraft management services to businesses and private jet owners, as well as charter sales services for customers looking to travel on aircraft ranging from small regional airplanes to large business jets.
As part of Newcastle City Learning’s apprenticeship scheme, which is aimed at young people looking to kick start their professional careers, Naljets has so far brought five business and administration apprentices on board.
The company has had great success with the apprentices it has employed to date – four have landed permanent jobs having impressed the team. Naljets invests heavily in the training and development of each of its apprentices, actively encouraging them to further their professional development through undertaking NVQ qualifications.
Steph Parkin, 21, Mathew Huddard, 21 and Andrew Barnett, 23, all began their apprenticeships within Naljets’ operations department, planning flights and liaising with agencies such as civil aviation authorities and ground handling agents in multiple countries on a daily basis. After completing NVQs in business administration management, Steph was promoted to a supervisory position within the department.
Both Andrew and Mathew have since shown interest in other areas of the business. Having undertaken further training, Andrew is working increasingly in engineering and aircraft maintenance. Meanwhile, Mathew has utilised his background as an art student to try his hand at aerial photography with Airfotos, which Naljets acquired in 2012.
Beth Winter, 20, joined the company as an administration apprentice and, having developed her finance skills, is now a valuable member of the accounts team.
As a result of the success of its apprenticeship scheme so far, Naljets has now hired a fifth apprentice, Lee Blackburn, and also scooped the Employer of the Year award at Newcastle City Learning’s Celebration of Success Awards last year.
Sue Gregg, HR manager at Naljets, is responsible for mentoring the apprentices while also working as an English Lecturer at Newcastle College.
Sue said: “We have been incredibly impressed with the quality of apprentices that have come to us through Newcastle City Learning since the start of our relationship with the organisation. They are all making valuable contributions to the company and have become key members of our team.
“As Naljets is such a unique and specialist company, taking on young people as apprentices and developing their skills ensures that they are a perfect fit for the job role.
“We are pleased to be able to support talented young people in the region, and have seen first-hand the benefits of investing in their professional development. In future, we plan to continue utilising the pool of apprentices available as our company continues to grow.”