Tom: The life of an apprentice
I am currently the CAD Technician and Technical Support apprentice looking to grow and develop my career in Engineering. This blog series aims to take you through my journey by sharing my experiences at HARTING.
In September 2015, I joined HARTING as the CAD Technician and Technical Support apprentice. Alongside working in the Northampton office, I have been studying part-time at college for and NVQ in Engineering Technical Support and a VRQ in Mechanical Engineering. I chose to do an apprenticeship over going to university as this was the best option for me, especially with the career path I have chosen.
I like the balance between working in the office and going to college. I get to do a lot of hands-on work at college as I am currently learning how to use different machines, including a centre lathe, milling machines, welding and bench fitting for the VRQ. In addition, I do plenty of theory based learning, including Health and Safety, quality and efficiency. The NVQ is primarily job write ups, so following the completion of a job on one of the machines I take photos to show competency and then produce a write up in order to create a portfolio.
No day is the same when I am in the office! My time is spent creating samples and CAD drawings, answering technical queries on the phone and emails, supporting our “Tech Alley” just to name a few. There have been several events since I joined that I’ve been fortunate enough to attend, including Drives and Controls and Infrarail in April. This was a great opportunity to see the HARTING sales and product teams in action with customers. Furthermore, I got a better understanding of the industry by walking around the events and seeing all the other products on show. My knowledge of the HARTING product portfolio is continuously developing and I am able to learn a lot from the Product Managers and Technical Support team on and day to day basis.
I would highly recommend an apprenticeship because it provides me with skills I need to succeed within my role at HARTING and within the industry. I get a lot of support from the staff members at HARTING, so I get the most out of my apprenticeship. The balance between education and work is perfect and it prepares me for life after education when I am in full time work.
There are lots of websites and support for people looking for an apprenticeship, I found mine online and I recommend that as a good place to start researching if you are interested in an apprenticeship.
I look forward to continuing my personal and professional development to become a fully qualified Engineer.
