Dean Mellor – Case Study
My name is Dean Mellor and I am 22 years old and this is a case study about my path into employment through STEGTA.
When I was at school I never really knew what I wanted to be but I knew that I didn’t want to go and sit at college for two years and then on university for 3 or 4 years. I knew that I wanted to do something practical, where you learn with your hands and also get paid for it while you are learning. By the time of the last year in school I now knew that I wanted to become an engineer either electrical or mechanical. When STEGTA came to visit my school I realised that this was probably the most likely way of getting where I wanted to be. I didn’t really know anything about engineering but STEGTA re-assured me that this was the whole point of an apprenticeship. The only thing that I had ever been involved in was motorbikes other that I knew nothing.
After joining STEGTA they got me a number of interviews with various engineering companies including the one that I am at now. I had my interview and got a job at ENER-G Combined Power LTD. I was taken on as an Apprentice Production engineer with a view to coming out of my time in 4 years. This was ideal for me because I was getting paid and also learning the skills that I needed and wanted. The set- up was like this: 4 days a week at the workplace where you completing the job but also learning from other people who have been doing the job for years. While at work you have a training officer from STEGTA (mine was rick) who comes in work every 4 – 6 weeks and checks that everything is going smoothly whilst also setting tasks (jobs) for you to complete and that will then be put into your folder for your NVQ Level 2 in Performing Engineering Operations. The other day of the week was spent at college where I was aiming for an ONC in Electrical / Electronic Engineering. The ONC covers lots of different topics including Electrical Principles, Measurement and Test, Electronics etc. This takes two years at day release to complete.
So after two years I had completed my ONC and also my NVQ2, next on the to – do list was my NVQ Level 3 in Mechanical Manufacturing Engineering and also my HNC in Electrical / Electronic Engineering. Both of them are more advanced stages of the courses that I had completed already but it was going to take me another two years to complete. The HNC now covers topics like Principles and Utilization but it also covers Business Systems which allows you to delve in to the management side of the companies and the running of different organisations.
When I was coming to the end of my second year my boss offered me a job that meant that instead of building the products I would be testing which is big responsibility and the machines that we build and test go all over the world and it would be my name that has signed them off. But you couldn’t turn that opportunity down so I was then a Test Engineer. Then I completed my HNC and NVQ level 3 which meant that I had officially come out of my time and finished my apprenticeship.
Since working as a test engineer my knowledge has become much greater and I have grown in confidence in the job that I complete, which includes fault prevention, diagnosis and rectification. It also helps that I have had the backing from STEGTA who got me the opportunity in the first place and supported me throughout the process and also the company that I work for ENER-G Combined Power LTD for again providing me with support and guidance when it has been required and also the opportunity of the apprenticeship and the opportunity to better myself and forward my career.
Personally I can’t think of a better way to learn a skill in what you want to do and also be involved in the workplace which gets you used to how people work together and how you can work in a team. ALL WHILE YOU ARE BEING PAID!!!!!!!!
For more information about Apprenticeships with STEGTA please contact us on: 0161 877 4078.