BMRA and partner companies win National Recycling Award for first sector-specific apprenticeship.
The British Metals Recycling Association (BMRA) has been awarded Excellence in Learning and Development alongside ELG, EMR, Mellor Metals, Recycling Lives, Recycled Products, Sackers, Sims Metal Management, S. Norton, and Ward for the Metal Recycling General Operative (MRGO) level 2 apprenticeship.
Launched in November 2018 by Sir Gerry Berragan, CEO of the Institute for Apprenticeships, the MRGO is the industry’s first sector-specific apprenticeship and is unique as it allows participants to specialise in one of five bespoke areas: weighbridge; material classification; waste electrical and electronic equipment; material handler; or, end-of-life vehicles.
Antonia Grey, Public Affairs and Communications Manager for BMRA said: “It is a really honour to win this award because, as a group, we have delivered a complex apprenticeship that truly offers sector-specific learnings. With a strong focus on learning and development, the MRGO apprenticeship is unique because, alongside the vital core knowledge and skills required in metal recycling, it offers the option to specialise in a chosen area. This is highly unusual for a level 2 apprenticeship. Moreover, unlike many other related apprenticeships, the MRGO funding was rated at £9,000, exceeding many expectations.”
She added: “Through the apprenticeship, the partnership has engendered a greater sense of pride in the sector because it both recognises and underscores the complexities of the industry and the role it has in protecting the environment. Receiving an Award from our peers recognising the work done to develop the first sector-specific apprenticeship makes all the hard work worth even more.”
Buoyed by the success of the level 2 apprenticeship, The Working Group (BMRA, ELG, EMR, Mellor Metals, Recycling Lives, Recycled Products, Sackers, Sims Metal Management, S. Norton, and Ward) is now pursuing a level 4 apprenticeship.
Source: BMRA
