We are proud to work with Chesterfield based engineering company CBE+ who are committed to developing people for the future of their business. Amongst other initiatives to attract young people into careers in the engineering sector, they are huge advocates for apprenticeships.
The manufacturing business is keen to help apprentices develop a career in engineering and become experts at what they do so they can understand the business to drive it forward. Apprentices work across the organisation in engineering roles and business support functions.
We asked Morgan Rodgers, a Level 3 Business Administration apprentice in the commercial team, to tell us more about his apprenticeship and why working in the engineering industry offers so many opportunities.
He told us:
“This is my first job in the engineering industry. I wanted to get qualifications at the same time as working, so an apprenticeship worked well for me. I looked at a range of roles but CBE+ stood out to me because they were a growing company and they offered a variety of different options for a career.
One of the good things about working here is the variety of things you get to do. Day to day I do a lot of data processing but I also work with different teams across the business, for example, quality and finance. This helps me get my job done and gives me a real insight into how the organisation works at the same time as developing my knowledge in business and engineering.
Business administration in a company like this isn’t just about figures and data. It is really important for me to get a good understanding of the product and the engineering processes. I have enjoyed spending time with the precision engineering and specialist electroless nickel plating teams. It allows me to see what is going on, where my role fits and understand how everything works together. This knowledge helps me to process orders properly and provide a good service for customers.
I didn’t know what to expect when I first started but it’s a very inclusive environment. All the departments work together and everyone wants to help each other. It really works. Every day I am learning something.
Every two weeks I meet my apprenticeship tutor to go through my apprenticeship work. He is always contactable if I need any support with my assignments. I set time aside each week to dedicate to my studies but I am always learning on the job and using what I have learnt to complete my assignments as well.
Once I have finished my apprenticeship I will always have my qualification and my experience to use as I progress in my career. There are a lot of opportunities to develop in the department I work in, and with the other teams I work closely with. I am building knowledge across the business and it gives me the upper hand.
I can tell the company are keen to inspire, develop and bring in young people to drive the business forward.”