Hindle restores apprenticeship scheme to invest in the future

Mr Hindle, who is managing director of the group’s Hindle Reman division, climbed the ranks before becoming part of the management team which bought the group from the Hindle family – to whom Mr Hindle is not related – in 2009.

Hindle Group comprises of three divisions involved with the gear and gearbox manufacture, engine and transmission and component re-manufacture, manufacture and distribution of industrial and marine controls

Over the last couple of years, the company has re-introduced apprenticeship schemes after a break of around 15 years. The firm took on four apprentices last month, though one decided to return to school.

Mr Hindle said: “There’s a big push on apprentices at the moment in the manufacturing side of the business.

“Since the MBO we decided that, we’ve got an ageing workforce and we need to bring some new blood, so we started the apprentice route.”

He added: “It’s not for now, it’s for 10, 15 years’ time. We feel you need to train some of your own blood and bring those people through because they are the lifeblood of the future.”

Mr Hindle joined the business as an apprentice engineer in the late 1970s. The annual turnover of the group in 2009 was around £9m and reached around £21m last year. The company employs around 150 people.