The International Journeyman programme has its origins in something of a chance event. This was the arrival, without prior notice, at The MKW Group's site of a young French engineering trainee. He had been sent to England to find a job in engineering by Les Campagnons du Devoir, a training organisation with some 500 years of French craft tradition behind it. The Group was particularly impressed by the young man's skills and the quality of his training and, on this basis, forged a partnership under which apprentices in The MKW Group began to undertake a proportion of their training in France. The Group, in turn, began to regularly host French trainees and undergraduates intent on gaining work experience and improving their English.
"It was a steep learning curve for the lads we sent - the first one didn't have any French, but he picked it up after a time," says Michael Wright, Group Managing Director. So, MKW Engineering and Total Maintenance and Engineering worked together and with the Prince's Trust helped to give the next batch of young men an initial grounding in French.
In September 2003 the scheme was further refined to create the International Journeyman scheme, with Sunderland-based RTC North (Regional Technology Centre) taking a leading role. Other partners include Gateshead Council, Les Compagnons du Devoir, and SEMTA (The Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies).
Under the scheme, apprentices make a short visit to France and, if they like what they see, they sign up for a minimum two-year apprenticeship, by the end of which they'll not only have a sound basis in engineering, but also fluency in French, thanks to "on-the-job" language training.
After their initial three-week visit, the young people have the option of either returning to France for two years to gain a French qualification, or joining The MKW Group training scheme, which involves completing a UK NVQ Level Two in one year and then going to France for two years to gain the French qualification. After two years in France, the apprentices can either return to the UK or spend further time improving their skills and qualifications.
The scheme has earned praise from the Regional Language Network North East, whose manager, Zélie Guérin, comments: "The need to be able to talk with our training partners at all levels of industry is becoming ever more apparent as we find ourselves in increasingly competitive markets. This initiative demonstrates how, by working together, we can ensure that the North East has the skills it needs in a modern, expanding Europe."
Steven McCarthy, 19, was one of the first MKW Engineering Group trainees to learn his skills in France. "It was hard to start with and the language was the biggest problem, because we were being told to do things and didn't understand," he says. But after a few weeks, he found he could understand well and, ultimately he learned to speak with fluency and confidence. "I think this gives me a huge edge - when I come back to England, I think I'll have a great advantage over most people and I'd definitely encourage others to do this."
