With school and college leavers carefully considering their career options, community conscious engineering firm Kohler Mira – which already stands out for its apprenticeships and training – has just opened the door to a new wave of work placements opportunities in 2023.
Part of Kohler Co, a global family of over 30,000 associates, the firm is perhaps most well-known for its Mira Showers brand. Employing 700 staff across three sites in Cheltenham, Worcester and Hull, it has a long history of successful career development programmes, not least its award-winning apprenticeships – with SoGlos speaking to the firm to find out everything you need to know about both.
About the expert – Kohler Mira
Kohler Mira’s UK operations are headquartered in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, where it employs an estimated 700 staff and turns over £130 million-plus annually. US business Kohler took over the Mira Showers brand in 2001 and continued to establish both it and the trade business Rada, as market leaders. It is a global leader in the manufacture of kitchen, bath products, engines, power systems, furniture, tiles, an operator of hospitality and golf resorts and a firm committed investing in training and its community.
How important is training the next generation of staff to Kohler Mira?
Kohler Mira has a long history of successful early careers programmes; investment in our employees’ development, to support every individual to become the best version of themselves, is a huge part of our culture.
All of our early careers opportunities are tailored with the individual in mind and build a breadth of experience across a range of departments, with support in place.
Among its other awards, Kohler Mira won the title Training Provider of the Year at the county’s apprentice awards. Why?
The award was given because of the ongoing support and development that we give to our apprentices above and beyond their apprenticeship training.
We want to support our apprentices to develop valuable skills that can be used outside of the workplace too, which means supporting their development outside their role through mentoring, training, involvement in our STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) programme, Apprentice Association and so much more.
Can you give us an idea of the kinds of apprenticeships the
business delivers and what they involve?
Our business apprenticeship provides individuals with the opportunity to experience the whole of our business from a commercial point of view. There are opportunities to experience marketing, supply chain and our commercial brand Rada Controls.
Business apprentices study a part-time Business Analyst qualification. The course includes a mixture of on and offsite training, leadership development and coaching. These core skills will become fundamental as students prepare for a junior role within Kohler Mira.
Engineering apprenticeships at Kohler Mira offer students the chance to study and rotate through our engineering functions from manufacturing to product design. This gives the opportunity to learn a wide range of skills along the way and discover which business area excites someone most.
Engineering apprentices will spend their first year studying at GET College in Barnwood. They will learn all the fundamental skills they will need to become a successful engineer. They will have the opportunity to apply their skills throughout their first year, as they will be on site during college breaks.
How do apprentices progress after that first year at Gloucestershire Engineering Training?
From second year onwards, apprentices will be based on site at Kohler Mira, whilst continuing to attend college one day a week. Once they have completed their Level 3 apprenticeship, subject to performance and aspiration, they will progress to study HNC/D.
Kohler Mira has just opened its doors to its next wave of work experience opportunities – starting this September 2022. Tell us more.
We offer both business and engineering work experience opportunities, where students can gain an insight into a variety of departments at Kohler Mira, from new product development and manufacturing to marketing and customer service.
How can people apply?
Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we ask that applicants interested in applying for work experience 2022/2023, download our application form and send this through to us along with a short covering letter by Friday 18 November 2022. The covering letter should include why they would like a placement at Kohler Mira along with any key interests, projects or hobbies their support your application.
When will people hear if they have been successful?
We will be in contact with all applicants by Christmas to let them know if their application has been successful. We will always try to accommodate as many students as possible but sadly cannot guarantee every applicant a placement opportunity.
If students would like to stay up to date with our latest apprentice, intern and work experience opportunities, they can sign up to our mailing list online. All the details for what to do are on our website.
