GREENFIELD Engineering was invited to give a presentation to Year 10 and 11 students from Holsworthy Community College on the benefits of completing an engineering apprenticeship.

The presentation was given by training manager Steve Killner, alongside fourth year apprentice and acting Bend Cell team leader Spencer Phillips. Spencer was particularly pleased to attend the event as a former student of Holsworthy College and was able to talk about his experiences of the apprenticeship scheme and have a look at how the college has changed since he left in 2009.

The students were shown video footage of the machines, equipment and manufacturing capabilities at Greenfield.

The presentation also included a snapshot of just some of the products that Greenfield have produced, working with a vast array of customers across many industries including office furniture, point of sale displays, lighting, and electrical enclosures.

Engineering apprentices at Greenfield learn important life skills such as health and safety in the workplace, time management, communication skills and working as part of a team whilst gaining academic qualifications that stay with them for the rest of their lives.

Students attend work for on-the-job training, four days a week with the fifth day spent on day release at Petroc College where they study towards either level 2 City and Guilds or BTEC level 3 qualifications, depending on their entry qualifications. Alongside the academic qualifications they also work towards NVQ level 3 in mechanical engineering. The scheme is managed by Group Training and Development whose NVQ assessor visits the apprentices on a monthly basis to track progress and ensure targets are being achieved.

Greenfield reintroduced the apprenticeship scheme six years ago and has had no fewer than seven apprentice of the year awards in the past six years.

Year 11 student Matt Shadrick said: “On Monday 25, Greenfield engineering came into school to give the Year 11s a talk on the working conditions and what people do in the modern day sheet metal factory on Holsworthy Industrial Estate.

“I found it very interesting and fascinating how they process sheet metal for big name companies from PS4 to little engineering products like the planes that we were given to bend into shape. This talk made me re-think what I could do with my career and what a great opportunity it would be to do an apprenticeship with Greenfield Engineering.”

Teacher Mike Greig said: “Greenfield Engineering has an impressive record of guiding their employees through the different aspects of their plant, as well as providing guidance and support to achieve the highest possible level of qualification. Not only does their plant contain the most cutting edge technology, but their support of the local community shows their dedication to promoting a quality working environment.

“It was a real privilege to host Steve and ex-student Spencer; it is always so positive to hear success stories from companies about past students.

“The school is really proud of its on-going links with Greenfields and we hope that we can continue to provide enthusiastic students for the work experience package and future apprenticeship positions.”