Process Operations Apprentice Review

Running and monitoring chemical plants and processes, taking samples to ensure qualit and running to procedures and within planned timeframes to ensure the business runs smoothly. I work in the Intermediates department, which oversees 5 different plants spread across the site, providing a good variety of tasks throughout the day.

Skills that are developed through working at Solenis include communication, teamwork, and critical thinking. Workign as part of a team goes hand in hand with good communication skills, and these are developed through use of radios and handovers which are critical to the running of the plants. Critical thinking is a vital skill for an operator, as they need to be able to make decisions in a timely manner when working with COMAH plants.

The apprentice programme provides a good variety of challenges, interesting work and college based learning which come together to provide a good base knowledge for working in the process industry. Solenis fosters a good work ethic and makes sure you are looked after in your area, with good teams built around apprentices for maximum support.

The apprenticeship programme at Solenis is well structured, with both on and off the job training organised and provided by departments and by the apprentice coordinator. This allows a good mixture of knowledge to be shared and taken in by apprentices, and ensures everyone has a good understanding of the workplace.

Solenis provides a lot of support to its apprentices through designated mentors on each shift, who are there to deal with issues the apprentice may have and guide their learning and development on plant. There is also a designated apprentice coordinator who ensures the apprentice program stays relevant and everyone is catered for.

The training provider supports the apprentices well at college through college based learning, off site and away from the job. This allows more focus on the college work. The staff at college are always available to support apprentices, either in person or via email. For the NVQ qualification, an assessor from college visits the workplace, as this side of college is more relevant to work.

The qualification provides a good base of knowledge for the process and chemical aspects of work, allowing apprentices to draw from learning to link aspects of the job together. This includes things like distillation training and chemistry, which are both applicable in my job role and helped my practical understanding of how our plants work.

The Solenis Bradford site has a sports and social club which organises events throughout the year. Members enjoy discounted access to these events, which include things like go karting, golf outings, casino trips and music events. Anyone on site is welcome to join, and there is a strong following of people of site who use the group regularly.

Yes

The apprenticeship opportunities at Solenis are an excellent way to start a career in the chemical manufacturing industry, with good levels of support and extensive knowledge provided by plant operators and college based learning helping to solidify an excellent base of knowledge for a successful career. The qualifications recieved in the apprenticeship are recognised industry wide and will help put any potential applicant for other sites or companies ahead of the game, as well as help make them a valuable employee at Solenis.

When applying for an apprenticeship at Solenis, confidence is key and expressing good teamworking, communication and critical thinking skills will help any potential applicant to recieve an offer. A background in science is good but not necessary, as I personally had no previous science qulaifications beyond GCSE level. Maths and English GCSE are required at a grade 4 or above.