Meet Rebecca our 5th Engineering Apprentice. She has been with us for a good few years now but didn’t join us to enter into the world of machining… Oh no, it was just going to be just a temp job until she figured out what she wanted to do for a career.
So now a little history. Fresh from completing her A Levels Rebecca joined us in the sales office to help us out during the summer, 2 months turned to 6, then 10, and she was still here! Rebecca was becoming a brilliant sales assistant to the sales team and she did a great job. However, she realised that a desk was not for her and when she saw us starting to look for our next Engineering Apprentice, she asked the MD if she could be considered to enter our Engineering Apprenticeship program.
We don’t think we’ve seen our MD Tony Worsley so happy. It must have taken him less than a second to agree to that and thus Rebecca started her Engineering Apprenticeship with Elder Engineering.
Rebecca was enrolled in our local college and began studying a BTEC L3 Diploma in Advance Mechanical Engineering, which was her main course, leading on to her selected modules L3 diploma in Advance Manual Machining and Engineering Machinist CNC. This is a three-year course which she completed with aplomb.
With the BTEC L3 Diploma under her belt, Rebecca wanted to take it further and this year started a degree in Product Design and Design Engineering at London South Bank University, which Elder is more than happy to support her with.
During her studies and time at Elder, Rebecca has had the opportunity to learn many different aspects of machining, she started on our lathes learning how to read drawings and machine rods to turned parts. After spending time and gaining experience and knowledge from our experienced machinists, Rebecca moved on to our Milling section and as she is a little lacking in the height department, had her Elder made a special step in tow which allows her to actually reach the machines (Machine manufacturers take note!!). Here she gained a wealth of knowledge from our previous apprentice Peter Wells who taught Rebecca the skills of programming, tool setting and how to machine a part using 3, 4 and 5 Axis mills.
With all this on-the-job training she still has to maintain her degree coursework and is currently working on a project using corrugated cardboard to advertise an environmentally friendly toiletries bag. She can use the skills she had gained from her working time to put this into place along with knowledge of how it works in the environment it will be exposed to.
Following on from completing her BTEC L3 Diploma, Rebecca chose to work in the turning department, where she is now a valuable part of the Elder team tackling all aspects of Multi-Axis, Multi Spindle Lathes and also not in need of her step!
What does Rebecca feel about Elder?
“I have always felt that Elder Engineering have always supported and encouraged me to learn and push boundaries and the degree was in the plans as soon as I started my B-Tec. I want to be confident in the skills that I am learning and be able to teach the skills I have been taught to others. It’s important to me that people don’t feel pressured to go into an environment by being pushed, break the mould, do something bold and unexpected.”
A comment from our MD Tony Worsley
“When Rebecca joined it took her no time at all to fit in with the team and she settled into her temp job in Sales with ease. The day she stepped into my office to ask to move from the sales desk and into our Apprenticeship scheme I was over the moon. It was great to see someone wanting to be a bigger part of our industry after seeing what we did in the factory and all of the projects we are involved in. I am pleased that we can back her to gain her degree and I know the team here is behind her all the way.
She is currently an important part of our turning section but is still learning day by day. Always has a smile on her face and always has a positive outlook on the tasks at hand. At Elder, we like to put a lot of effort into showcasing our industry to the younger generations. With Rebecca’s teaching skills from Sea Cadets, she is brilliant at showing our school work experience placements what we do and how we do it.”