National Apprenticeship Week 2024 is an opportunity for the education and skills sector to celebrate the achievements of apprentices and the positive impact they make on businesses and the wider community.
We’re very proud of our apprenticeship programme and the impact our apprentices can have on the business. They bring a fresh outlook and new skills, whilst supporting our teams. We also find it incredibly rewarding to see them develop and grow as they progress.
Aaron Jeffrey joined Silvery Tweed working in production before starting his engineering apprenticeship in 2021. Now just over two years into his training, we talk to Aaron and find out what his day looks like.
This week I am on day shifts, so I arrive on site at 5.50am and I am ready to start work at 6am. The day starts with a daily handover from the previous shift on jobs that have been completed, those that are ongoing as well as anything that has just occurred. If there isn’t anything on the handover, then we will walk around both production sites to talk to the production supervisors and see if they have any issues that we can solve.
I then check the engineering request log. This is where people can record jobs that need our attention. These are given a priority rating, so we tackle them in order of importance and work through the list.
The rest of the day is spent working through the job list. If a machine breaks down, then I make safe what I have been working on and head over to fix the machine. As a multi-skilled engineer, I pick up a wide range of jobs, which is great as it means my job is always varied.
Unlike when I first started my apprenticeship, I now spend a lot of my time working independently. I know I have some very experienced colleagues who I can get help and advice from. Also, with my background in production, I know how the machinery should run, which helps spot and solve problems.
My shift finishes at 2pm. Before that, the team puts together a handover for the shift coming in.
As part of my apprenticeship, I spend one day a week at college, learning and refining my skills and knowledge.
My day there runs between 8am and 4.30pm. The day starts with a lesson on electrical principles followed by another on electrical, pneumatics and hydraulics. After lunch, we learn about the appliances of mechanical systems. This covers pulleys, sprockets, gears, fasteners etc and supports the work that I do at Silvery Tweed.
The day finishes with project work. This puts us in charge of a project and teaches us how to plan as well as carry out the work.
Regardless of whether I am on-site or at college, my day ends by picking my daughter up from nursery to spend time with her.