Castings Technology | Employer

Castings Technology

Sheffield-based company Castings Technology is the only commercial titanium casting facility in the UK. Recently celebrating its centenary, the business is set for a major expansion in 2026 as it moves into new premises twice the size of its current site. The company will also increase its workforce by 30 per cent, taking it from around 115 employees today. Key to this growth are a steady stream of apprentices from the University of Sheffield AMRC Training Centre.

Castings Technology has been hiring and training apprentices from the AMRC Training Centre for over a decade. They choose the AMRC Training Centre for their approachability, responsiveness and high quality of apprentice — as shown by a 95 per cent pass rate to date. 

Before working with the centre, Castings Technology would struggle to recruit high-quality staff, spending thousands on recruitment agency fees with little return. In fact, chief operating officer Paul Longden credits the AMRC Training Centre with ensuring the future of manufacturing in the South Yorkshire region itself, by creating the next generation of engineers.

Today, AMRC Training Centre apprentices are firmly embedded in the company, adding tangible value from their initial 12-month training onwards. Welding apprentices work on live test parts. Methods engineering apprentices develop new methods of manufacture. And apprentices heading up the firm’s process control team found £350,000 in efficiency savings last year alone. Several have gone on to win national awards, like the Made in Sheffield Apprentice Awards and Metals Industry Apprentice of the Year.

As Castings Technology goes from strength to strength, apprenticeships are allowing them to grow at a rate that wouldn't have been possible otherwise. Apprentices have even been involved in planning the layout of the firm’s new facility. With many members of the senior leadership team having started their careers as apprentices, the partnership between Castings Technology and the AMRC Training Centre looks set to continue delivering success for many years to come.

“The University of Sheffield AMRC Training Centre’s apprentices come with professionalism and a can-do attitude.They have allowed our skills and technical ability to grow at a rate we couldn't have achieved without them. The support from the AMRC Training Centre is fantastic and our own staff find it a pleasure to mentor the next generation.”

Ryan Longden, chief operating officer, Castings Technology