Many congratulations to seven of our apprentices from Teesside Beam Mill and Skinningrove who have graduated after completing their engineering apprenticeships.
This talented cohort have spent three years working toward their final awards, equivalent of a Level Three, having spent one year of classroom-based work and two years on-site alongside experienced crafts colleagues.
During this time all have received on-the-job training in their specialism – either electrical engineering, mechanical engineering or welding.
To complete their apprenticeship, they underwent a final ‘endpoint’ assessment, run by SIAS – a service for science and technical apprenticeships. They have now all been allocated full-time jobs in the plant area in which they have spent their time qualifying.
The seven are Iqbal Agha (Fabrication and Welding – TBM), Joe Palmer (Electrical engineering- TBM) Marc Smith (Electrical engineering – Special Profiles, Skinningrove), Jack Cutter (Mechanical Engineering - Skinningrove), Conor Starsmore (Electrical engineering – Special Profiles, Skinningrove), Joe Caster (Mechanical engineering – TBM) and Ben Howell (Mechanical engineering – TBM).
And to mark their achievements they collected their certificates at an event hosted by Middlesbrough College.
Joe Caster, one of the newly qualified apprentices, said: “The apprenticeship has been a great way to gain a trade and I’ve really enjoyed my time both at Teesside Training Enterprise and on-site. It’s great to be able to put the years of training into practice now.”
TBM Plant Engineer Steve Bowman said: “This was an informal celebration for the apprentices and their families, supported by local management teams and Teesside Training Enterprise which is part of Middlesbrough College, to confirm our pride in their success.
“It was refreshing to look back at the pictures of the young people when they first joined us and then to see the people that they are now. They are all an asset to British Steel’s future, and we can reflect on another successful year for the apprentice programme.
“It is my pleasure to wish the group a bright future in the steel industry and their entry into a very select group. They can take pride in calling themselves an ‘engineer’ as it is official now and in what they have achieved.
"This apprenticeship programme is an investment in the future skills that are required to operate and maintain our mills, at Teesside Beam Mill and at Skinningrove, both now and in the future.”