How Youth Engineering apprentices benefit from Bradbury Groups state-of-the-art-facilities

Joining Youth Engineering as an apprentice over three months ago, Annabelle has been working towards achieving a level 2 Accredited Engineering Operative qualification. Delivered alongside our partners Springfield Training, a government-approved and registered training provider who ensures both an educational and hands-on approach to learning.

Keep on moving

As part of the programme, apprentices will gain real-life manufacturing experience by working in different sections situated in Bradbury Groups’ state-of-the-art facilities; the departments in which they spend time in will be driven by their apprenticeship units. The different departments that our apprentices could spend time in are:

• Finishing
• Fabrication
• Stores
• Paintline
• Welding
• Machine Shop
• Warehouse
• YES
• Newton

May Foxton, Bradbury Groups Learning and Development Facilitator explains why the rotation is important for the development of Annabelle, and future apprentices who are interested in taking this career route, “By spending time in several of these departments Annabelle will not only learn important skills and continue to build her knowledge but will also understand the full manufacturing process of building a door from start to finish. This experience will be invaluable for Annabelle and future apprentices who wish to take the same route to gain a wider understanding of how manufacturing environments operate”.

Having spent the first two months of her rotation in the YES department, Annabelle is now a month into her second rotation with the finishing department.

The Art of Finishing 

The finishing department at Bradbury Group includes operations that occur towards the end of the manufacturing process. Once the product has been formed, the products are sent to finishing for the secondary processes to take place; these processes include installing or fitting hardware, assembling hardware, and assembling frames.

Spending just over a month in the finishing department, Annabelle reflected on how she is finding her second rotation “I’ve enjoyed it so far. I think this is because I love solving puzzles, and I’m good at it, and that’s what building these doors feels like”. Annabelle added, “The things I found the most difficult are also the parts I enjoy the most which are learning about all of the different bolts and screws and the different tools to use for each one – I enjoy it because it’s really satisfying once you know exactly which tool and bolt pairing to use without second-guessing yourself”.

A helping hand

Annabelle has excelled during her time in the finishing department; this can be accredited to her own will and determination and the support received from her Support Buddy, Daniel Robbertze.

The Support Buddy system is a new initiative implemented by Bradbury Group to help the onboarding process of new starters, as we recognise it can be difficult to adapt to new surroundings. Annabelle also understands the role her Support Buddy has played in her development as she admits “Danny helped me a lot when I first joined the finishing department. I had a lot of questions to begin with, so it was unnerving knowing I had someone next to me who I could ask”.

Annabelle continues to praise the Support Buddy system by explaining “I don’t think I would have progressed as quickly as I have without the Support Buddy system. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed at times, especially when you first move into a new department. Having a buddy means they can guide you through those difficult periods and pick things up quicker”.