Member Article

Hartlepool Engineering Trainee Wants to See More Apprenticeships

A young apprentice at one of the region’s top civil engineering companies believes that apprenticeships are the future of the industry. Especially in the North East.

Lewis Hunt, 17, a management trainee at Seymour Civil Engineering who is also undertaking a level 3 BTEC in Construction in the Built Environment, has spoken out about how important apprenticeships are to the future of the construction industry.

Lewis spends one day a week at Hartlepool College of Further Education studying his BTEC and the rest of the time he is positioned in Seymour’s main office at Seymour House on the Marina.

“It’s a long day at college. I do 9am until 7pm every Thursday. It’s good though. I can keep up with it alongside my working time at Seymour which is the best part about it.

“I chose to do an apprenticeship because it’s the best way forward really. I can’t see full time college really benefitting me. I think to get the full experience of a place of work as well as being paid to learn is brilliant. I get the best of all worlds, college life, a great job, work experience and I get paid.

“One of the main benefits of apprenticeships over traditional education is it allows you to get your foot on the ladder. Also, I get paid to do this so I can set myself up a little bit more. Seymour pay for my college and any fees I might need to pay, such as books I may need, as well as if I was interested in entering higher education. If I need to go on courses or if I wanted to go to university they’ll pay for it. That allows me to be financially stable enough to make these decisions.

“Seymour is encouraging me to take my education to degree level. They have that level of trust and loyalty in me. If I wanted to enter into tendering or become a site manager they’d help me get through my degree.

“Picking an apprenticeship doesn’t stop you from following your education. In some cases like mine the company you work for actually helps fund your education and encourages you to do your best by allowing you the time and the right environment to learn and grow.

“You get treated much more like an adult in this environment. Even on my days at college you get treated like an adult. The classes you’re in are a mixture of different age groups so you’re treated accordingly. You’re an adult with a real job. You’re not just a student.”

Seymour will be attending The Big Apprenticeship Event at Hartlepool College of FE on Thursday March 9, 5.30-8pm when they and over 50 employers including the NHS and many other businesses large and small will be on hand to give advice and guidance about careers and apprenticeships to students from schools and colleges across the town.

Lewis, a former St Hilda’s Church of England School, started in September last year and already gets the feeling that his superiors at Seymour see him and his fellow apprentices as the future of the company.

He said: “They really invest their time in you. I can’t see them spending their time and money on me to not want me to succeed with them. It really makes you feel like you want to succeed and do well.”

In the five months Lewis has been with Seymour he has been on a three-month rotational system which allows him to get a feel for the many different aspects on the business.

“You’ve got different parts of the job. First I did repair and maintenance in our minor works division, which is outside site work and after three months I was moved to the estimating department where I am now. I now work on bigger engineering jobs on a wider scale. Eventually I’ll move onto quantity surveying at some time in the future.”

Lewis understands the important part that apprentices play in the future of not only his industry but many different sectors across the UK.

He said: “They’re making a big push at the minute in the UK for apprentices and I believe it’s definitely the most beneficial way forward for anyone that wants to learn and work. It offers another route into further education for people.”

“If you chose the full time college route you’d have much more to worry about –

having to think about getting a part time job as well as having to do all of your coursework for the college. With an apprenticeship you work and get your studies done all at the same time so it’s convenient and worthwhile.

“I like the way they treat you like an independent individual. They’ll set you the task and you have the freedom to tackle it anyway you want. They offer advice and assistance from the background and really let you get to grips with what you have to do.”

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