I left school not knowing exactly what I wanted to do as a career and after previously trying customer service and administrative type roles, I started my Engineering apprenticeship journey formally four years later on the 20th September 2022. Going into my first day at OAS (Oxfordshire Advanced Skills) near Abingdon I was extremely apprehensive as I did not have much general engineering knowledge other than studying for my GCSE in engineering. The training centre was almost new and bustling with life, new equipment and friendly faces.
I didn’t attend a Norbar careers open evening as I was already working for Norbar in an aftersales and repairs role, however since then I have helped out at the company open evening hosted jointly with The Engineering Trust and have also helped out with open evenings at the Oxfordshire Advanced Skills site.
My route into a Norbar apprenticeship was as I mentioned slightly different in that I had an existing job role here, therefore I saw the job advertised on the internal notice board and heard it mentioned on the internal ‘company briefing’ which listed current opportunities. I went on to speak to HR about the Quality Control apprenticeship to find out what it entailed when it started? and what to expect? After some consideration I decided to apply. The thought process behind applying was to take on something more exciting and something to challenge me whilst having fun and gaining a qualification.
I am currently coming towards the end of year two out of four (I write this in July 2024) and have already learned a substantial amount from technical information to machining, from maths to communication methods, from reading engineering drawings to hand drawing my own assemblies and components but also learning so much about myself and my interests within the engineering sector including some things that aren’t necessarily for me.
Learning to accept that not everything is for you and knowing that you won’t enjoy or be particularly good at everything you do during your apprenticeship is just as important as enjoying the parts you do love or enjoy and know you excel at.
I personally enjoy learning new skills so for me the most enjoyable things were placements at work or lessons at college where I went in completely clueless and came out after a number of weeks with a basic understanding. Although this can be trying at times it develops a sense of achievement.
For example, at the training centre, machining was something I was dreading – I had never been near a milling machine let alone operated one, through time, practice and a fair amount of patience from my teachers, I was able to produce some brilliant work and learned to enjoy it rather obsessively to the point I would often over criticize my work and restart if I wasn’t happy with the finish or had found a better or more efficient way to produce something.
During my time so far as an apprentice, I have faced some challenges along the way, but I have learned to embrace them.
A few highlights include:
- Winning the Engineering Trust’s Apprentice of the year award
- Learning to Mig Weld
- Developing a higher perseverance and resilience level and understanding more about myself
Jasmine Piper
Apprentice Quality Technician.