National Apprenticeship Week

Today we have had the pleasure of celebrating all those who have completed their apprenticeships in 2021. We invited all apprentices across the Ansuka Group to a presentation in BCW’s Board Room with members of the Executive Board present. Claire Whelan, Group Managing Director was proud to present the apprentices with a certificate of achievement, a letter of thanks for their commitment, lunch and a token voucher.

To issue five certificates across the group with three completed within BCW Manufacturing Group fills us with pride. BCW’s three apprentices all completed different apprenticeships:

Austin Healey completed his Level 3 Infrastructure Technician and now joins our IT Team as our IT Hardware Engineer. Austin has enjoyed putting these skills into practice and dealing with any of our employees IT issues via the Help Desk.

Liam Stone completed his Level 3 NVQ Extended Diploma in Engineering Maintenance and now works as a CNC Maintenance Engineer. Responsible for planned and reactive maintenance across the site Liam ensures the CNC machines run efficiently and effectively.

Matthew Allsopp completed his Level 3 Engineering Manufacture: Mechanical Manufacturing Engineering.  Now a qualified Engineer, Matt has the desire to further his career in engineering which is a true testament to his apprenticeship journey.

All courses were completed at Burnley College; a college that has been voted the number one college in England for all 16-18 qualification levels, as shown in the government rate achievement levels.  Our apprentices have been supported, motivated, and treated as individuals, helping them achieve their goals and bring essential skills to the business.

As a business we believe in apprenticeships; Alun Phennah, BCW's Managing Director commented, “I was lucky enough to go through an apprenticeship from the age of 16, not everyone has that opportunity.  It provided a strong foundation for the rest of my career, and I want to continue to provide the team with the opportunity to learn.  In September we enrolled a further four employees looking to develop their existing skills and further their development.  A fantastic opportunity for those who didn’t have that chance as school levers but seek that opportunity later in life.   These apprenticeships give back to the individual allowing them to learn whilst on the job and respond to the changing paradigm of manufacturing within the UK.”

Gav Lowden one of the four who signed up explains why he took this opportunity “I want to progress in my career and feel this is the best way forward, I like a challenge and enjoy learning and becoming a qualified engineer is important to me. I am pleased to have signed up for the course and I’m looking forward to increasing my skills and sharing my knowledge with others.” Gav signed up for a Level 3 Mechanical Engineering Apprenticeship.

Jay Pinder who started a Maintenance and Operations Engineering Technician apprenticeship has been with the company for 10 years and recently received his long service award, Jay has moved into the maintenance team who are responsible for all installations, machine moves and maintenance.  Our in-house team ensures that the machines run efficiently reducing any downtime and providing maximum machining hours to our production teams.  We caught up with him on his role and the apprenticeship.  “I am enjoying my role in maintenance, having previously been shift leader I understand the demands and the machines. I have always been interested in the maintenance side of things and now that I have been given the opportunity to be part of the maintenance team and gain a qualification at the same time it is fantastic.  The course started in September and at the moment we go every Monday.  For me, it is the perfect way to learn.” 

BCW continue to invest in apprenticeships and believe they will help shape the future of the manufacturing industry.

If you are a school leaver and are looking for an opportunity, reach out to BCW to see what opportunity may lay ahead by speaking to recruitment@bcw-engineering.co.uk