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Metalcraft receives Queen’s Award for Enterprise

A Chatteris manufacturer that was awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2020, has received its trophy 18 months after the pandemic delayed the official presentation.

Stainless Metalcraft, which supplies performance-critical components to industries around the world, was awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Promoting Opportunity in recognition of its commitment to providing pathways into long-term engineering careers for local people.

Its apprenticeship scheme has launched the careers of 34 young people since it was kickstarted in 2010, helping tackle an impending skills shortage by training more young people and reducing the average age of the workforce from 54 to 41.

Martin Lawrence and Martin Johnson, both directors at Metalcraft who began their careers as apprentices, received the award from Julie Spence, Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire.

Ian Bannister, managing director at Metalcraft, said: “Receiving the Queen’s Award for Enterprise was a fantastic achievement for the whole team but no-one could have foreseen the challenges the world would face just a few weeks later.

“As we move towards what will hopefully be more stable times, taking delivery of the physical award is a timely reminder of the importance of investing in our local communities and developing long-term, rewarding careers for local people that can help the area build back stronger.”

Stainless Metalcraft welcomed four new apprentices to its team in September while work is also underway on the construction of the North Cambs Training Centre on its Chatteris site, creating a broader range of training opportunities for people in the local area.

Austen Adams, divisional managing director of Avingtrans PLC, which owns Metalcraft, added: “The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are known globally as a marker of quality and outstanding performance and, as chair of the CPCA business board, I’m delighted that Metalcraft continues to play a leading role building the area’s reputation for manufacturing excellence.

“We are continuing to work hard to develop the skills of employees across the business and look forward to working closely with the management team at the North Cambs Training Centre over the coming months to open up an even wider variety of opportunities.”