Member Article

Design Engineering Apprentice joins leading Newcastle packaging company

DS Smith which has several plants throughout the UK has recently recruited an Apprentice Design Engineer to work from its packaging facility in Killingworth. This modern facility boasts a variety of activities including concept, prototype and finished design, customer services and production.

During the early part of summer 2014, the Design Manager, Human Resources and Tyne North Training’s John Hopper worked very closely to identify an apprenticeship model which would offer a young apprentice the opportunity of developing into a skilled packaging design engineer.

Once the apprenticeship model had been designed, DS Smith tasked John with recruiting a young apprentice who had the potential and desire to become a design engineer with a stipulation that the candidate should have an artistic flair. John sourced a number of interested candidates one being Josh Graham. John and DS Smith decided that the best way to decide on the suitability of the apprentice would be to include a work trial where the apprentice would gain an insight into the design office, the production facility and the packaging industry itself. After a one week trial it became very clear that Josh was ideally suited to DS Smith.

John Hopper commented “Josh has a great opportunity to develop into a well-rounded design engineer. He will be given the opportunity of working in many departments including the shop floor giving him the necessary understanding of materials and product buildability. It is with this experience that he will take his product knowledge into the Design Department where he will become a key member of the design team.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tyne North Training Limited .