Daniel Ferrow

Name: Daniel Ferrow, 25
Job title: Manufacturing engineer - Industry 4.0
Employer: Stanley Black & Decker Inc. 
Studying: Mechanical Manufacture Degree Apprenticeship (third/ final year)

Winner of the Apprentice of the Year award at the Made in Sheffield Awards 2024.

Q. Why did an apprenticeship appeal to you? 

By taking the apprenticeship route, I gained practical experience and academic knowledge at the same time. This means that I have almost seven years’ experience as well as the qualifications earned at the AMRC Training Centre, which puts me in a better position to other graduates who go through the traditional route of going to university. 

It also meant that it would be easier for me to apply the academic stuff to the real world by pulling examples from the workplace.  By working in an environment that works with various materials and processes, means that I can apply the information I have received through lectures to these processes.

Q. How do you think your apprenticeship will give you the skills and knowledge you need for a rewarding career?

It not only gets you into a job role, but it also gives you the skills and the confidence to step up in the workplace. For instance, before starting this apprenticeship, I hated doing presentations to groups, I would get nervous. Now I can confidently present during Zoom calls or talk to the vice president of global operations about a system I developed.

Similarly, running a project is a massive task. I’ve been shown and taught how to use proper project management tools that I have implemented in my own project work to keep them on track and make them successful.

Q. What was the best part about doing an apprenticeship at the AMRC Training Centre? 

Doing the apprenticeship with the AMRC Training Centre, while at times stressful, has been really rewarding. The staff are great at providing the support needed. They’re a great laugh which makes it so much easier. It feels like a relaxed environment which makes it easier to open up and be more susceptible to learning. There are also many learning resources, from the Diamond building to the library for engineering textbooks. The AMRC Training Centre provides everything you need to advance and enhance yourself.

I’ve also had the opportunity to connect with other like-minded people. I moved here at the start of the apprenticeship not knowing anyone, but now I have a great group of friends who I can reach out to for advice as well as experience Sheffield’s nightlife with. 

Q. Who inspired you to pursue a career in engineering? 

I’ve always had a massive love for movies. When I was younger I really enjoyed science fiction films and action movies, mainly Star Wars. It got me into all these books on how spaceships were made and showed cross sections of their interiors, which really sparked my love for engineering. 

Although it wasn’t real and just fiction, it gave me a platform to understand real world technologies a lot better. Over time I got more into the real world engineering behind the fantasy technology, watching YouTube videos on a ‘real-life lightsaber’ and so on, which made me think that maybe one day I could create something in real life from a franchise that I really enjoy. This is why I got into engineering. 

Q. What tips and/or advice would you give to other people looking to do an apprenticeship? 

Go to the open days, look on company websites that you’re interested in and email them if you want to find out more. Looking for an apprenticeship that’s right for you is like trying to pick out a car – there’s hundreds of options but only one is the right choice. 

You need to be prepared for an apprenticeship. It’s not like school or college or even university. You have real responsibilities during an apprenticeship – things that can cost your company money or someone can even get hurt – so you need to prepare yourself to get the job done. Properly planning out your workload, ensuring you get all your tasks done for work and college/university is the only way you’ll be able to get through it. 

Inspired to start your apprenticeship journey? 

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