Dale Benton

Siemens Lincoln have launched a pre-employment programme to provide young people with the skills needed to boost their employability and knowledge of the engineering environment.

Aimed at 18-24-year-olds, the 2013 group of trainees has been recruited following a selection and assessment process run with Lincoln College, Lincoln Job Centre, Ingenus and A4E.

The trainees completed modules of training in core electrical and mechanical engineering skills, such as hand fitting techniques and equipment maintenance, safety training, as well as communication, team and management skills.

They were also given the opportunity to participate in a Siemens-led Interview Skills training course, focused on boosting their confidence to cope successfully within a work place.

The current group consists of twenty trainees, all coming from a broad range of diverse backgrounds and varying levels of previous engineering experience.

As a result of completing their EAL NVQ Level 2 in Performing Engineering Operations, three have been offered apprenticeships by Siemens.

Angela Borman, entry level talent manager at Siemens in Lincoln said: “The programme is helping trainees develop a real passion for engineering.

“The group is bright and enthusiastic and has demonstrated this in the quality of their work and positive feedback from college tutors.

“We are delighted to hear that as a result of the programme trainees feel inspired to pursue careers in engineering and utilise their new found talents to secure employment.

“We have in fact offered apprenticeships to three of the trainees – what greater tribute to the success of the initiative do we need.”

Paul Birt, Human Resources Director for Siemens, said: “The Government’s Employer Ownership of Skills initiative fits with the Siemens philosophy of tailored training programmes extremely well.

“By involving employers like Siemens in both the development and subsequent management stages of the programme it clearly benefits the participants by ensuring the training closely meets the industry requirements.”

A near life-size image of the interior of Lincoln Cathedral has been installed at the Waterside Shopping Centre on the High Street.

The 3D-style image is covering up redevelopment works at the centre and coincides with the launch of the Vision of Lincoln photography competition.

The image, projecting the Cathedral’s Choir Screen and Organ, creates the illusion of being able to walk right inside the historic building.

The impressive view from the Nave at the Cathedral, shot by Lincoln-based photographer Phil Crow, is on display opposite Vision Express until December.

The 20m x 8m image marks the launch of the Vision of Lincoln photography competition, in which local people are invited to submit their own unique visions of the city to be in with a chance of winning a place on a photography course.

The best entries will be displayed around the shopping centre.

City of Lincoln Council Chief Executive, Andrew Taylor hammers a wall to inaugurate works at the Waterside. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Roy Greening, General Manager at the Waterside said: “The image we have chosen to launch our Vision of Lincoln competition is absolutely awe-inspiring and I’m sure that people will be taken aback when they see it. You really feel as if you could walk straight into the Cathedral and take a look around.

“It is fantastic to be able to partner with the Cathedral and give the people of Lincoln a unique insight into one of the city’s most beautiful buildings and provide inspiration for those entering our competition – maybe they will head uphill and take their own shots of the Cathedral.

“Our vision for the shopping centre is very exciting, but we want to see what is synonymous with the city for the people who live here. We’re looking for artistic, unusual, surprising and memorable visions of Lincoln to bring together here at the Waterside as part of our redevelopment.”

The revised interior frontage designs of the Waterside Shopping Centre in Lincoln by LK2 architects

Chief Executive at Lincoln Cathedral, Phil Hamlyn Williams said: “We are delighted that a glorious image of the inside of the Cathedral will spend the time from August until nearly Christmas in the Waterside Centre.

“We want the beauty of the image to be uplifting, but most of all to encourage visitors to the centre to make their way up the hill to see the real thing.

“A great many Lincolnshire people have this year taken advantage of free entry for a year by using gift aid and we would love to welcome more.

“The placing of the image gives up the opportunity to talk about concerts, services and other events that are coming up. It is very exciting.

“We are grateful to the Double Tree by Hilton Lincoln for their help in partly meeting the costs of the installation,” he added.

— For more information about how to enter the Vision of Lincoln photography competition visit www.watersideshopping.com. The closing date for entries is 6pm on August 30, 2013. Entries must be submitted as a .JPEG image of 1MB or more in size to [email protected].