As we approach National Apprenticeship Week and the Leeds Apprentice Fair 2023, we thought now would be a good time to look back at the apprentices we took on in 2022. This intake of apprentices was our largest yet, with four young people recruited and set on a journey to a bright future thanks to our apprentice academy.
Rather than speak for them, however, we caught up with Oliver, Martins, Isaac and Cameron and asked them how they felt they had grown both personally and professionally; as well as what they feel they have learnt in their time here.
Here’s what they had to say:
Cameron
My time so far at Kirkstall Precision has developed my communication skills, confidence and teamworking abilities. Throughout the apprenticeship, I have been challenged to work alongside some of the industry’s top precision engineers in a fast paced, evolving environment.
The pressure I am under I love, as it helps me enhance my problem-solving skills and adaptability. Overcoming these hurdles every day has grown my personal resilience and inspired me to push boundaries and develop further and faster at the forefront of manufacturing.
Overall, the opportunities given to me during my time at Kirkstall Precision Engineering have been vast and plentiful. Being able to experience and build skills in all departments of the business processes has made me a well-rounded and capable apprentice. I look forward to my future at Kirkstall Precision.
Isaac
Since starting at Kirkstall Precision Engineering, I have become more knowledgeable in the different areas of the business I have worked in. I have grown more accustomed to working as part of a team, not only in the department, but also in working alongside other departments such as finishing and CNC Milling.
Since coming onboard, I feel really valued as a person and feel like I’m an integral part of the company and I really look forward to gaining more experience in engineering as my apprenticeship continues.
Oliver
The one thing I’ve noticed in myself and what others have said to me is that my overall self-confidence has grown hugely. I feel more confident in sharing my views and have even been encouraged to analyse and solve problems independently as well as take advice from others.
My attention to detail has also grown, and I take a more methodical approach to the challenges I have been set as well as understand when I need to reach out to other teams… which brings me on to my team-working skills… which I’ve really enjoyed developing as it has brought me out of myself more.
Martins
When I came to Kirkstall as an apprentice, I really wanted to grow my technical skills as this is the aspect of precision engineering I really love. Through developing these I have become more self-confident, and this is evident through my knowledge of CNC machines and how to run them… which is something that has been mentioned to me by more senior members of the team – they are really impressed with my knowledge and how quickly I have developed.
I am now pushing on and learning more about the journey a product takes through the business and each stage of its development. From initial design to tooling, cutting, finishing etc. I have a keen interest in how it all comes together, and the processes and I recognise by knowing this it will equip me with the ability to understand how to refine processes and gain those small improvements that make a big difference
In summary
As you can see from the above, our apprentices are progressing nicely. This is due to our dedicated and passionate approach which we have refined over several years. It also comes down to the fact that nearly all of our senior leaders here at Kirkstall Precision Engineering were apprentices themselves, so we have a passionate approach to developing any apprentices who start their career at Kirkstall Precision