Apprentice Toolmaker Review

Plant Swindon is a pressing facility, and my job as a toolmaker is to maintain the press tooling in order to keep it operating at the required standard. On a day-to-day basis I repair the tooling by performing grinding, welding and machining operations, as well as manufacturing new tooling from castings.

Throughout the apprenticeship I have learnt and developed many new skills. Some of the practical hands on skills I have learnt include grinding, welding, machining, scanning and many other skills. As well as this I have developed communication skills and have further developed an in depth knowledge on press tooling processes such as piercing, trimming and forming.

I enjoy the apprenticeship program very much. I have met some great people and can't wait to continue my journey after completing the apprenticeship. I have learnt a vast amount of information related to my job role and if I could restart the apprenticeship program over again I would.

The apprenticeship program is very well structured, there are several placements that I go on to learn about different areas within the business, these are usually a few months long which is enough time to gain a good amount of knowledge in each placement. These placements range from the quality and scanning department, maintenance, production, tool making on a press line and in the tool shop.

My training manager is always available when I need support or help with anything. I further have a mentor in the tool room that is always available to support me when needed. The work force are all really friendly so I know I can approach a large amount of people when I need support.

My training provider is New College Swindon - North Star Campus. The lecturers are really friendly and are always happy to offer support when needed. I know I can pop in anytime or email/message and will receive any help I require. I really enjoy performing my studies at New College Swindon.

I believe the qualifications I am performing allow me to understand a wide variety of different engineering practices. This allows me to perform my role better as I can put this knowledge into practice. Specifically, turning, milling, welding ad grinding within college allowed me to have skills before coming into the workplace that I could then build on.

Yes, there are a wide range of extra-curricular activities to get involved in as an apprentice. One of these is the mountain challenge event, which is a large scale orienteering event that is scheduled every year. Furthermore, an apprentice newsletter is an additional activity that allows networking between apprentices at different plants.

Yes

I would recommend the apprenticeship to anyone with a keen interest in engineering. This is because it has allowed me to develop myself in a positive manner, has allowed me to learn and develop many skills and has allowed me to meet some incredible people. I look forward to having a long career in engineering.

It is important to show a keen interest in engineering when you apply and also have a brief understanding of the work that is performed in the plant, this allows the business to see that you are really interested in the work that is being performed. The process can take some time so don't be disheartened if you don't hear back straight away. Good Luck.