Teesside Firm Takes On Operational Apprentices For First Time With Help From TVCA

A longstanding industrial firm has taken on operational apprentices for the very first time as it looks to the future.

Chemicals and fuels storage firm Navigator Terminals has been a fixture of Teesside’s industrial landscape for 60 years from its home on the North bank of the River Tees.

Now the company has taken on Elliott Johnson and Kia Huntington as apprentices for its operations.

Navigator advertised for its first ever operational apprentices earlier this year – and Tees Valley Combined Authority helped boost the firm’s push to draw in applications.

Elliott, 19, from Redcar, is a Terminal Operator Apprentice.

He studied business at college but it wasn’t quite for him. And now he now sees a career in the chemical and fuels storage industry as viable.

Elliott said added: “I had a job for a year and wanted something a bit more secure in a thriving industry. That’s when I put in for the apprenticeship.

“It’s the operations side of it I enjoy. The chemicals, and the process of transferring it from tank to tanks, having the ships come in, and the road tankers loading.

“The training has been brilliant – they go through everything in fine detail. Everyone is friendly and getting on – everyone teaches you something new every day.

“I’m definitely more of a hands-on learner – reading off a screen isn’t really for me. Getting out on site and seeing how to do it is great for me.”

Kia also joined the company over the summer as a Terminal Operator Apprentice after successfully coming through the application process.

“It’s really good to see what goes on,” she said.

“Even though we do fuel storage, there’s a lot more that goes on behind closed doors which I didn’t know about.”

“I went to sixth form and did health and social care, but I had a career change when this came up. I realised college wasn’t for me – I wanted to be more outside, hands on and learning, rather than just in a classroom.”

Kia also enjoyed the variation in her apprenticeship so far – and was keen to build a career in the industry.

“The team is very welcoming,” she added. We have shift operators as well as day operators, so we work with different people – which is good.”

Jimmy Smith, Assistant HR and Training Manager at Navigator, has worked for 12 years at the firm.

He explained how Navigator had been looking at getting apprentices into tank storage for a number of years.

Tees Valley Combined Authority helped give the recruitment push a leg-up once the firm had readied the positions.

He added: “We’ve had a new CEO come into Navigator Terminals, Roy Brooke, and he’s seen the value of apprentices and has seen the future of the industry in apprenticeships.

“We’ve managed to successfully to get three apprentices into operational training programme in tank storage which is really good.

“Because we haven’t had an apprentice in operations before, we were starting from scratch and, luckily, we had some contacts with the TVCA, and overnight they managed to advertise the position for us, and share it on their platforms and because of that we had massive success in applications. Within a 24-hour period, 30 to 40 applications come in.

“Now they’re here they’ve hit the ground running, they’re out on site every day with our trainers and picking up things really quickly.

“It’s great to have them.”

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “Teesside is the beating heart of our nation’s chemical and processing industry – and Navigator Terminals are another vital piece of the jigsaw in keeping it running.

“We’ve laid the foundations to bring thousands of good, well-paid jobs to the people of Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool – but it means nothing if we don’t put the work in to ensure as many of our young people get those jobs. Apprenticeships are crucial if we want our area to succeed and reap the full potential of what we’re doing.

“So it’s great to see our team giving a Teesside employer like Navigator the boost it needs to get our young people into our core industries and taking on apprentices.”

Roy Brooke, Chief Executive Officer of Navigator Terminals, said: “At Navigator, we believe in the potential of people. Our apprenticeship programme is more than just training; it’s about shaping the future of the industry.

“We recognise the growing need for fresh talent in the tank storage and new energies sector. As the industry evolves, so too does the demand for a workforce equipped with the latest technical skills, and Navigator is determined to meet this challenge head-on.

“We’re excited to be at the forefront of developing skills that are essential to our business and by doing so, Navigator is not only preparing the business for the future but also creating pathways for young talent to contribute to the evolving storage and energy landscape.

“Navigator Terminals hopes to take a leading role in shaping the future of the tank storage and energy industries, ensuring that both the company and the community benefit from the shared success.”