"National Apprenticeship Week (NAW 2019) takes place 4 to 8 March 2019.
This annual celebration of apprenticeships will bring the whole apprenticeship community together to celebrate the impact of apprenticeships on individuals, employers and the economy."
We're celebrating by getting to know our Quality Manager, Freddie, who manages our apprentice, Ben.
Name: Freddie Day
Job title: Quality Manager
Why are apprentices important?
Apprentices ensure that the existing skills & knowledge within our business are passed on and when the time comes for people to leave, there are trained/qualified individuals ready to take their place. It’s also important as not everyone is suited to learning in a classroom environment and some of the best people we have, learnt their skills while on the job.
What do you get out of having apprentices at Polypipe?
I have worked with quite a few apprentices over the last few years and I think it’s quite rewarding helping them learn and seeing how they develop.
Why should young people consider apprenticeships as a career choice?
You will often find that employers ask for a qualification and X years of experience in a role, this is difficult to get if you have been at college or university full time. Apprenticeships give a head start on the practical side of working and experience that you don’t get with many other qualification routes.
What’s something an apprentice has worked on/ done that has impressed you?
Our last apprentice in QA, Rob Bell applied for and won the EEF Apprentice of the year award for the midlands region.
What has surprised you about an apprentice you’ve worked with?
Brooklyn started as an Apprentice Special Products Operator in production and when he finished his apprenticeship he took a role with me as a Quality and Process Technician. What surprised me with Brooklyn was how he changed over the course of his apprenticeship, from limited manufacturing knowledge at the start to working on the large apprentice project and delivering presentations to directors and board members towards the end. He is now developing further and has just started his quality qualifications with the Chartered Quality Institute.