Member Article

Jake’s Journey from Apprentice to Supervisor

When Jake Hodgkinson started as an apprentice at Bennett Architectural in June 2015, he didn’t expect to 18 months later be a Supervisor of the Manufacturing team.

Jake’s role as a Fabricator is a vital cog in the Bennetts machine as he has a hands-on role once projects are passed to his team to begin.

The 22-year-old studied through PM Training to attain an NVQ Level 2 Diploma in Performing Manufacturing operations when he first started and has since undertaken a NVQ Level 3 in Glass Installation. With his role as a Supervisor he is also planning to undertake a Team Leading course soon.

Jake also works with our Processing team to ensure design drawings are ready to start the fabrication process. Some of the jobs Jake has had a real influence on include projects at Aldi Headquarter offices in Atherstone and ABCAM Bio-Medical Campus, which is set to be one of the biggest jobs the company has ever been involved in.

Part of the work on the ABCAM project required Jake and senior members of the team to put together a mock up window that could be impact tested off-site.

Jake Hodgkinson commented, “I saw an internal vacancy for a Supervisor in the Manufacturing team and felt like I wanted that extra responsibility after learning on the job since starting as an apprentice.

“I’m finding it very rewarding to pass on my knowledge to newer members of the team and people who have started as apprentices with Bennetts.”

“As a Supervisor, once a job is coming to a finish I am already looking at drawings for our next project to ensure we can start the work on time.”

Rob Derricott, Production Manager added,

“Jake has progressed exceptionally well in the short time he has been with the company, his dedication and integrity made him an ideal candidate for the role, he is very knowledgeable and is developing our apprentices to a high standard.

“We will continue to support Jake with opportunities in career development and we look forward to working with him for many years to come.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Paul Downey .