Action packed AMRC programme planned for National Apprenticeships Week

Staff at the AMRC Training Centre are planning an action packed programme of events to mark National Apprenticeship Week, which starts on Monday March 9.

Highlights will include an opportunity for teachers to work on the Centres shop floor, under the watchful eye of former pupils who are now apprentices and an “Engineer your Future” event for 60 pupils from schools across the Sheffield City Region.

The Centre is staging its first ever Apprentice Awards Dinner and apprentice will get the chance to meet Yorkshire born David Pitchforth, the managing director Boeing Defence UK, who started his career as an apprentice and will be touring the Centre before delivering the keynote speech at the Awards.

Members of the Bloodhound team, bidding to raise the World Land Speed Record to over 1,000 miles an hour, will be visiting the Training Centre during the week to tell pupils from local schools about the excitement that can be found in engineering.

Pupils will also get the chance to find out which of them is the best potential welder, in a competition using the Training Centres Virtual Reality Welding Equipment.

National Apprenticeship Week at the AMRC Training Centre kicks off with the “Back to the Floor” day for teachers, modelled on the highly successful event it staged last year for senior executives of local advanced manufacturers.

A dozen teachers, including one head teacher, maths, physics and design specialists and careers advisers will face a number of challenges during the day.

The teachers will get first-hand experience of the rigorous assessment process the Training Centre uses to select apprentices.

After a health and safety briefing they will tackle a ‘Design to Manufacture challenge, making a component by hand with nothing more than an engineering drawing and the advice of an apprentice who is one of their former pupils to guide them.

The day is designed to help teachers give pupils a better idea about the opportunities for advanced manufacturing apprentice and the message will be spread further by Training Centre apprentices who will be returning to their former schools to talking to pupils aged 15 and 16 during Year 11 assemblies.

Apprentice Week celebrations will culminate with the Apprentice Awards Dinner, sponsored by Boeing, which will fly the Training Centres Apprentice of the Year to Seattle to see its new Dreamliner being made.

Individual awards, covering subjects ranging from machining and maintenance to technical support and academic achievement are being sponsored by companies that include Sandvik, Cromwell, Air Liquide, Stafforce Recruitment, Huvema, Haas Automation and the MTA.

AMRC Training Centre Director of Training, Alison Bettac, said: “National Apprenticeships Week is an important opportunity to tell young people about the exciting opportunities that exist to earn while you learn.

“In the case of our apprentices than can be from the shop floor to the lecture theatre, the laboratory and on to the company boardroom.

“We are so grateful to all the sponsors who are backing our inaugural Awards and to David Pitchforth from Boeing, who can show our apprentices that the sky really is the limit for them.”