BOC focuses on skills for the future

BOC is to sponsor a major new initiative to encourage apprentices and others on training courses to improve their welding skills. It has been recognised by Government and industry that there is a shortage of these skills in the UK – skills that the country needs in order to maintain its competitive position in engineering.

To address this challenge and highlight the importance of best practice in welding, the new UK Apprentice Welding Competition will involve as many trainees and apprentices as possible across the country.

There will be three levels of competition:

• internal, training-provider competitions – Level A
• full-day, multi-provider competitions – Level B
• national finals (England, Wales and Scotland) – Level C

BOC, a member of The Linde Group, is planning to host the England final at its Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) in Wolverhampton in July 2009. It will also offer advice and guidance for activities on Levels A and B and will provide the prizes.

“As a nation that excels in engineering and high quality manufacturing, it is essential that our young people have the right skills to maintain that tradition. As a company at the heart of this industry, BOC is keen to encourage new entrants to maximise their skills,” commented Mike Huggon, Head of BOC UK & Ireland. “The UK Apprentice Welding Competition is a new way of doing that and we are proud to support this initiative.”

For more details of the competition and how to register, contact: welder.uk@boc.com

BOC
BOC is a member of The Linde Group. An industrial and speciality gases provider, the company supplies compressed and bulk gases, chemicals and equipment.
For more than a century the company's gases and expertise have contributed to advances in many areas of everyday life, and industries including steelmaking, refining, chemical processing, environmental protection, wastewater treatment, welding and cutting, food processing and distribution, glass production, electronics and health care. For more information see BOC online at www.boc-gases.com.

The Linde Group
The Linde Group is a world leading gases and engineering company with more than 50,000 employees working in around 100 countries worldwide. In the 2007 financial year it achieved sales of EUR 12.3 billion. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards earnings-based and sustainable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment – in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. Linde is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development. For more information, see The Linde Group web site at www.linde.com

For further information about this release please contact: Simon Napper on + 44 (0) 1483 244515, email simon.napper@boc.com