mechanical engineering
apprenticeship scheme

stories

Amber Brouder, Mechanical Technician

Why did you choose an apprenticeship? 

When having to make the decision on what to do when leaving school, I really wasn’t sure what to do at all. I looked at all the options out there; sixth form, college and apprenticeships. For me, only one option stood out the most. The option to achieve a qualification, industry experience and knowledge as well as getting paid at the same time. I am more a practical person. I enjoy being on the tools and physically working on a job with my hands, so for me the option of both gaining a trade while being able to work in the factory was really important to me when choosing my option. 

Tell us about your journey as an Apprentice at British Sugar

I started my journey completing 18 months at college, gaining the level 3 mechanical engineering qualification. Here I learnt the fundamentals and basic principles of engineering through book work but while also doing practical workshop activities. I spent a whole 6 weeks doing workshop skills, this included use of hand tools and machine shop equipment including lathes and mills. 

I then spent the rest of my apprenticeship on site. I worked alongside skilled technicians with many years of experience, who willingly helped me improve and gain more knowledge and confidence in my role. I found this to be the most useful in my time as an apprentice, absorbing the knowledge, techniques from those who have done the jobs before, while working alongside them. In many cases, I found that I contributed to help improve the jobs due to having new ideas and a fresh pair of eyes on the situation; it’s all about helping each other out to make our lives easier and safer. 

While also on site, I spent time doing my book work to contribute to the end point assessment of my qualifications. I was always given time to do this alongside support from both my colleagues and managers. 

How did British Sugar support you through your apprenticeship?

Throughout my apprenticeship I received lots of support and help from both my managers as well as my colleagues. I was given time for all the book work I needed to complete and had regular meetings with my manager to keep track of my progress. I found that a lot of my colleagues were willing to help out and encouraged me to always ask lots of questions, no matter how silly they were, from which, with their knowledge, really helped me understand and gain confidence in my job. 

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

During my time of the apprenticeship, I worked normal working day hours. I therefore found it quite easy to balance my social life outside of work while studying. My partner works shifts, so we found we could benefit from this and work alongside the pattern to plan holidays in. 
In the times where exams and the end point assessment were near; where it could have been stressful and mentally hard; British Sugar staff were there to support me whether it was to allow more time on the bookwork or to just sit down and chat to me. 
 
Over the course of the apprenticeship, i have met so many great people at all levels of experience and time on site and I have a lot of time and respect for those especially who have spent time help train me and supporting me. We all look out for one another and get on very well as group; so much so that our Engineering department regularly socialise outside of work for drinks and meals. I hope to share my experiences as an apprentice by supporting our new apprentices at the factory and look forward to passing on my knowledge and experiences. 

What has been your best achievement so far?

Having been one of a few females on site at Bury St Edmunds, I found that the welfare facilities differed to the mens. I challenged this with our Senior team and within a few months the welfare facilities improved to meet the same standard as the men. We are slowly starting to see more women join our team and I wish to help encourage and support them as they start their journey. 

Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your experiences so far?

I’ve now been appointed as a full time Mechanical Technician at our Bury St Edmunds factory site. This has enabled me to learn different areas of the site and the opportunity to learn more of the site. I started off in the Extraction team and had worked with them for over 2 years and have now recently moved to the Refinery team. Moving areas has allowed me to transfer skills learnt previously and I have gained new knowledge from others I have not worked with before.

Every day is different in this role, with a lot going on and opportunities to develop; making the job rewarding and enjoyable.

stories

Owen Lusk, Engineering apprentice,
British Sugar Wissington, joined Sep 2021

I didn’t pick up engineering until I had reached college however I had always been interested in how things work and solving problems. When I selected engineering at college it was an opportunity to try something new and practical. Covid hindered me and my ability to gain a strong understanding of all the subjects I took part in however I still enjoyed learning about them. 

Once lockdown started it gave me time to focus on what it was that I wanted to do in the future. I knew that solely working in a classroom wasn’t the way I enjoyed learning, so I decided to look into apprenticeships within engineering. I applied for multiple different positions at different companies, including British Sugar, around my local area. 

I was fortunate to have been selected for interview with British Sugar and I was invited to my first assessment day where we were given more information about the company as well as taking part in activities and further interviews where British Sugar would get to know me better and vice versa. The assessment day allowed me to see the professional manner in which the hiring is completed which gave me a very positive outlook on the company.

I was excited to be offered the job but also nervous and excited to get started. I had never worked on a site to the scale of Wissington before with so many different people. However, when I arrived, I was assigned a mentor and everyone in the engineering department was extremely accommodating. I would be attending the local college to obtain a Level 3 MOET (Maintenance and operation engineering technician) apprenticeship. On this course im learning both mechanical and electrical skills which makes the role really varied. 

After working at Wissington for over two years now, my confidence has grown considerably and I am much more competent in my field. Being given time to complete college work with the support from different subject matter experts has helped me pass units to a high standard. We also complete specific training courses regularly to gain better knowledge and experience as well as attending in-house training. 

With all the support we are given on the scheme we are made to feel wanted and become useful to the company. I would recommend this apprenticeship to anyone thinking of going into and engineering field.