control engineering
apprenticeship scheme

stories

Nathan Trundle, Multi-skilled Technician, previous Electrical Apprentice
British Sugar Wissington, joined 2018

Why did you decide to do an apprenticeship?

There are several reasons for choosing an apprenticeship over other routes. I wanted to gain hands on experience and learn on the job from the get-go. Other routes would require me to sit in a classroom for several more years before picking up a tool, this wasn’t something I was interested in doing.

Tell us about your journey as an apprentice at British Sugar

I moved to Middlesbrough for 12/18 months with a group of 11 other lads where we went to college 5 days a week learning the theory side of things but also spending time practically getting us ready for when we arrived on site. I then spend around 2 years in the electrical department gaining experience on days and on shift. The last year of my apprenticeship was spent in Customer Supply performing a multi-skilled role, I was learning both electrical and mechanical engineering up until I finished.

How did British Sugar support you through your apprenticeship?

We had constant communication with our People Development Manager who was our support network, for a lot of us it was our first time living away from home. Any issues and our People Development Manager would support us. When on site I had monthly meetings to ensure I was keeping on track, if I wasn’t we would come up with a plan to support and help get me back on track.

What do you feel were the advantages of doing an apprenticeship over other education/ training programmes?

The main advantage is you are learning specifically about your job from ‘day dot’. People who have been in the business for 20+ years were supporting me everyday giving me their knowledge, helping me become the person I am today.

How have you found balancing your lifestyle and social life while doing your apprenticeship?

Very easy, you work your normal hours then go home. It’s the same as a normal full-time job, if you keep up with your apprenticeship while you are at work, then there’s nothing to stress about once you clock off.

Have you met any friends through your apprenticeship? 

Having moved away and lived with 11 other people very similar minded I’ve made plenty of friends. Most of which I speak to on a weekly basis. Everyone on site have been great and they can’t do enough to help you.

How did the apprenticeship help you kick-start/ progress your career?

Without the apprenticeship I wouldn’t be able to do the job I’m doing now. I would have finished university and only now start learning the practical side of the job. The day I finished the apprenticeship I was on shift on my own looking after the whole of Customer Supply when on nights.

What has been your best achievement so far? 

Going to Customer Supply, it was a complete change of environment, not many people have gone from the factory to Customer Supply and I feel it has been a great move for me personally. I’ve met a lot of great people whilst also learning another skillset.

stories

Sam Read, Multi-skilled Engineering apprentice
British Sugar Bury St Edmunds, joined Sep 2021

Growing up I always had an interest in how things worked, willingly stripping things down, inevitably not knowing how to put them back together. My British Sugar Apprenticeship has helped me develop and taught me how to overcome problems at home and in the workplace.

When I left school I did not have a chosen career path. This led me directly into a working environment. I started working in heavily automated industrial site straight out of full time education in 2015. I very quicky became fascinated in how the machinery worked behind the operator controls, learning different fault finding techniques and working along side engineers to bring the equipment back online safely and efficiently.

At this point, I knew if I wanted to have a career in this industry, I would need a recognised qualification engineering. 

What I really wanted was an apprenticeship. As a young adult with a young family, having an income to support my family was paramount.

I first saw the British Sugar apprenticeship advertised online, it was local and I was always impressed by the scale of the plant when passing by. I investigated more into what a Level 3 Food and Drink maintenance (FDEM) apprenticeship would involve, helping me understand if it was right for me. After applying, I was contacted by the recruitment team who gave me more information about the role and then the interviews began. Each interview I gained more of an understanding of what was required and was convinced this was right for me. I was then informed I had secured the apprenticeship; this was the start of my career as an engineer.

My apprenticeship started September 2021, attending college three days a week and two days on site in Year One. The diploma covered many aspects of engineering from machining to electrical inspection and testing. At college I was taught the fundamentals of each discipline and the broader knowledge was gained on the job working alongside engineers. The support from British Sugar along the way made this apprenticeship achievable. 

I am currently in my final year and am on site four days a week, I have been integrated into the engineering team and have not looked back since. In this industry every day is different, overcoming different issues and working as part of a wider team is why this is the career for me.