EmployerView
| Name: Billy Sheffield |
| Job Title: People Development Manager |
| Company: UK COAL |
The coal industry has a long and proud
connection with Yorkshire, a link which continues to thrive thanks
to the services provided by Doncaster College.
Whilst gone are the days when almost every
village had its local coal mine, providing job opportunities for
thousands in often isolated communities, the rump of what remains
demands the very highest standards of education and training for
what is now a high-tech industry.
Doncaster-based UK COAL is Britain’s biggest
coal producer, employing 3,100 people at its four deep and five
surface mines producing around eight million tonnes of coal a year.
People Development Manager Billy Sheffield said: "The pick and
shovel days of mining are an image of the past. The reality
of today is that mining today highly technical, with advanced
technology and systems in all aspects of our operation.
"The coal industry has a long association with
Doncaster College, and it is a relationship we hope will continue
to thrive for many years to come as we train young people to become
the mechanics and electricians of tomorrow.
"The coal industry has for decades had a
reputation for training its people to the highest standards, and
the mining courses managed by the experienced tutors at
Doncaster College, coupled with the practical skills our young
people receive back at the collieries where they will be employed,
ensures they have access to the very best tuition.
"Doncaster College is a very important cog in
our development wheel as we introduce new blood into the
industry. Such is the reputation of our training, that
for every vacancy we have had in recent years, there’s has
typically been in excess of 20 applicants. "
UK COAL recruited 15 apprentices last autumn
to work at the company’s Kellingley Colliery in West Yorkshire,
Thoresby Colliery in Notts, and Daw Mill in the West Midlands. They
have been joined on the Doncaster College four-year course by a
similar number of apprentices training to work at CoalPower’s
Hatfield Colliery.
Billy added: "These young men not only have to
learn their individual trades, they have to hone their skills to
work in one of the toughest environments where safety is the No 1
priority. Their time at Doncaster College gives them the solid
foundation on which to develop skills which will put them in
good stead for the rest of their careers."
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