Hydram Sheet Metalwork currently employs over 250 people in its precision sheet metal fabrication business based at its factory in Chilton, County Durham, UK.
Hydram takes its commitment to staff development, training and retention very seriously, and understands the importance attached to the role its staff plays in the overall success of its sheet metalwork business. It is committed to providing employees with good and safe conditions of work, and good and competitive terms and conditions of service.
Hydram was accredited with the Investors In People award in 2000 in recognition of the time and money spent on staff training and welfare. The metal fabrication company seeks to maintain the Investors in People ethos by promoting the development of an employee-friendly culture and ensuring all employees have access to relevant training to support a continuous improvement culture across all functions of the business.
Hydram is proud to have gained an impressive reputation for employee retention. Through maintaining high standards in both the workplace environment and health & safety, terms and conditions that are competitive, provision of training opportunities, and valuing employee contribution, Hydram enjoys impressively low staff turnover. In 2022 the company marked 45 years in business with over 20 members of staff having (at least) obtained their 20-year long service awards.
Hydram Sheet Metalwork takes its commitment to staff training and development very seriously. Currently 98% of the shop floor employees have achieved NVQ Level 2 or higher. External training courses supplement continuous in-house training; employees are encouraged to add to their skills. Of particular importance to the business is training to reduce/remove non-value added activities.
Hydram began delivering its own engineering apprenticeship programme in 2011 in its dedicated Apprentice Training Centre delivering in-house training to NVQ level 3, being recognised by one of the leading awarding bodies for manufacturing and technical qualifications, EAL. Delivering training in-house ensures that apprentices learn skills that fully suit the sheet metalworking environment. The fabrication company employs a full time Training Manager who oversees the Apprenticeship Programme. Hydram also runs a graduate scheme and has taken on graduates from universities in the North East including Durham University and Newcastle University.
