New starters include apprentices and graduates who will all be based at the National Avenue HQ
Ideal Heating is continuing to invest for the future with the latest intake of young talent at its Hull headquarters. The long-established company has welcomed its latest cohort in the shape of three apprentices and three graduates, all based at Ideal Heating’s headquarters in National Avenue.
They will work alongside the company’s experienced professionals, learning from mentors with years of experience in their fields. Ideal Heating employs 1,100 people, with around 800 of them at its main Hull site.
This is undergoing a £60m transformation as the company leads the UK heating industry’s transition from gas boilers to low-carbon heating solutions. The business is also investing heavily in reskilling its workforce and developing the next generation of heating engineers and technicians.
Miriam Moore, Ideal Heating’s HR director (designate), said: “We recognise the talent, energy and fresh thinking that apprentices and graduates bring to the business and they play a vital role in shaping the future of our industry. As a company, we’re committed to investing in their development and providing them with the skills and opportunities to help them to grow into the next generation of industry leaders.
“We’ve made a deliberate shift in our recruitment tactics to target graduates, as well as apprentices, and to host open days to showcase our business culture and what we can offer. We’re able to provide young people with valuable industry experiences and peer-to-peer support to help them develop and grow in a supportive environment.”
Ideal Heating works with training providers, including Humberside Engineering Training Association (HETA) and Humber Energy Skills Training Academy (HESTA), to deliver its apprenticeship programmes. The latest intake of apprentices are all aged 18 and take the number on programmes within the business currently to 29.
The new starters are quality engineer apprentice Holly Owst, from Hull; R&D design – heat pumps apprentice Max Sladzevskis, also from Hull; and heat pump technician apprentice Robbie Kew, from Goole. Holly is starting her five-year apprenticeship after completing applied science and double engineering courses at Ron Dearing University Technical College (UTC) in Hull – Ideal Heating is a Major Partner of the employer-led school.
She said: “While I’d previously focused on mechanical or electrical engineering skills at Ron Dearing, my passion lies in renewable energy. Ideal Heating’s shift towards heat pump technology perfectly aligns with my values and aspirations.
“The company culture here is amazing, and I’ve felt welcomed immediately. The engineering industry can sometimes present challenges for women, but Ideal Heating has made it absolutely clear that talent and dedication is all that matters.”
As well as offering apprenticeships to college leavers, Ideal Heating partners with recruitment specialist Emmerson Kitney, based in Welton, East Yorkshire, to target new graduates and offer young people the chance to take their first steps onto the career ladder after university. Henry Chik, 24, from Hull; Adam Scanlan, 23, from Cherry Burton, near Beverley, and Eddie Kirkham, 22, from Grimsby, have all joined the business as development engineers after studying engineering-based degrees.
Henry is pursuing his career in research and development with Ideal Heating after graduating from the University of Nottingham with a master’s degree in chemical engineering. He said: “What attracted me to Ideal Heating is that they’re one of the biggest employers in the area, their ethics are really good, and they’re really supportive of all their workers. It just felt like a really nice environment in general.
“It’s an exciting time to be in a business like Ideal Heating because of the technological transformation happening with heat pumps. It’s dynamic and innovative and I get to see this first-hand.”
Ideal Heating was formerly known as Ideal Boilers, the company having been founded in Hull in 1906. It is now owned by Groupe Atlantic, which brings together 21 brands and more than 11,000 employees around the world.