We’re proud to announce that one of our apprentices, George Stephens, was selected as a finalist for the 2016 Worcestershire Advanced-Level Apprentice of the Year Award which is organised by Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership and Worcestershire City Council.
George joined us as an apprentice in September 2013. He showed potential from the outset, striving for high standards both academically and in each of the business functions to which he was seconded. His positive, ‘can-do’ attitude led him to complete his Advanced Apprenticeship in Engineering Maintenance almost 12 months ahead of the programme.
During his apprenticeship, George showed passion for engineering and manufacturing, actively seeking opportunities to take on projects and tasks to demonstrate his abilities and grow. He began working as an industrial electrician, repairing furnaces and state of the art CNC machines. He branched into programming and specialised in control engineering.
George’s work has made a measurable difference. He implemented one system to automatically check the dimensions of new products and another to show the status and timing of products through a horizontal forging press. Both have enhanced productivity. He also worked on our energy-saving dashboard that monitors gas and electricity consumption across our site, developing a system which enables us to see the live status of our heat treatment furnaces so we can fine-tune our energy usage.
George said: “It feels great to have been considered for this award and to have become a finalist. My apprenticeship has put me on a course of continuous learning and prepared me for the future. I have been trusted with more responsibilities as I have progressed and I would like to develop into a leadership role long-term. I’d recommend doing an apprenticeship to anyone considering it. It’s one of the best ways to learn and grow.”
At Mettis Aerospace, we operate a structured apprenticeship programme which enables young people to develop engineering skills and benefit from training within various areas of our business. They’re also given dedicated time and support to work on projects and college assignments. We set up our apprentices for success and some have now been promoted into management positions.
George is now completing a degree at De Montford University and has become a Trainee Control and Instrumentation Technician. He is responsible for programming and maintaining temperature control instruments and control systems across our site. We’re proud of everything he has achieved to date and know that he will go far.
