Ever wondered what the average day looks like for an apprentice working in the manufacturing sector? What the interview process looks like? Or what’s involved in a manufacturing apprenticeship?
Well, these questions and many more are answered in a new series of videos produced by the Ahead Partnership and Leeds Manufacturing Festival.
Join five apprentices as they talk about their day-to-day working lives, the businesses they work for and the products they get to make. From soldering printed circuit boards for Daletech Electronics, to making jukeboxes for Sound Leisure, the video interviews give a real insight into an apprenticeship in manufacturing.
Perfect for students and teachers wanting to know more, apprentices from Leeds manufacturing firms Brandon Medical, MPM, Leeds Welding Company, Daletech Electronics and Sound Leisure talk about why they chose a manufacturing apprenticeship and the range of diverse of career opportunities available in the sector.
For Abby from Daletech, an apprenticeship was the ideal next step from her engineering course at college. “I really love soldering the components onto the boards, I picked it up pretty quickly. I go to college one day a week to learn the theory, and some practical skills and spend the rest of the time I’m at work learning on the job. It’s a great environment with really nice people.”
Aarron from Leeds Welding Company, who has just completed his four-year apprenticeship, says: “There is no average day because I do a fair amount of moving around. For people who like me, who like to learn a bit of everything, it’s perfect. I’ve got lots of options for the future because I can use all the lasers in the company, I can run the presses, I can weld, I can paint. I can do so many different things, which I’m really grateful for.”
All of the interviewees would recommend an apprenticeship in manufacturing. Louis from Brandon Medical says: “You can be a commercial apprentice or a trade apprentice - you can do anything in an apprenticeship. It’s just a better way of learning – you have your practical and your theory side. You learn more through doing and it just suits some people better.”
He also talks about the qualifications he’s gaining during his four-year apprenticeship: “I’ve got a Level 2 in Advanced Manufacturing, a Level 3 in CNC, milling and turning, also a Level 3 in Advanced Manufacturing.”
Watch the videos and learn more about apprenticeships, here.
