Business Spotlight: Astley
Astley was established over 100 years ago and is now considered the supplier of choice for signage and creative, environmental brand graphic solutions in the UK. Their purpose-built head office and production facility opened in Gateshead in 2010 and covers 62,000 sq. ft, offering space to allow the fabrication of large structural signage such as totems.
As an SME, Astley fully believes it is their responsibility to encourage and support initiative and career progression within their workforce. Apprenticeships have provided an opportunity to mould a skilled workforce that meets the specific nature of the business and allows apprentices to see fantastic career progression.
Astley pride themselves on providing apprenticeship schemes and developing the next generation of signage professionals, having introduced 12 apprentices to their team within the past five years. They currently have four apprentices across their Marketing and Finance departments, and as they have had great success over the past few years with young talent, they have recently taken on three new apprentices on the shopfloor in the Metalshop and Assembly departments.
CNC Team Leader, Reece, is a great example of the success with apprentice schemes. Reece started his apprenticeship six years ago and has now progressed to CNC Team Leader, which shows fantastic progression and development. You can see Reece speak about his apprenticeship journey here.
Astley have also had two Sales & Marketing apprentices receive awards in their respective categories at the MAKE UK Awards in 2022!
Astley believes in adhering to its social responsibilities and involves its employees, suppliers, and the wider community in its endeavours to improve these aspects. They look to support and give back to Gateshead and other communities and are committed to encouraging local projects, recruitment, and training.
Astley have also supported six members of the local community as part of the Government Kick Start, a six-month programme in which they learnt from colleagues within a variety of departments including fabrication, print, and vinyl application. Three of these local people have now accepted full-time positions within the Astley workforce.
Training and development has been instrumental in the overall business strategy of Astley since its inception, and so they are always on the lookout for young, skilled talent. You can find out more about Astley here.
