National Apprenticeship Week 2022: Building for the future
National Apprenticeship Week 2022 is the 15th annual celebration of the positive impact of apprenticeships and the role they play in ensuring the future workforce is equipped with the skills it needs. They can also open new and exciting career paths for people, just as they have done for one Silvery Tweed employee.
Aaron Jeffrey has been working at Silvery Tweed since 2019. Starting as a Standard Operative, he was quickly promoted to look after a line of products and supervise others.
While not keeping it a secret from anyone at Silvery Tweed that he wanted to do an apprenticeship, it still came as a shock when operations director, Peter Thompson, offered him the position, “I felt quite nervous when I was told that one of the directors wanted to see me in his office,” Aaron says. “To be offered this opportunity has been fantastic as it allows me to follow my dream of working as an engineer.
“So far I’ve completed an initial six-week mechanical engineering course. I’m now working full time on site until the next part of my course starts in March. I’m loving the course and I know all the hard work will pay off. I know that this is what I want to do for my career. It gives me skills for life and allows me to provide for my family.
Peter said, “Right from his interview Aaron showed that he had the ambition and the desire to progress within the business. We knew he had undertaken an engineering course while at school and followed that up with an electrical work experience programme. He had demonstrated the right attitude and is someone that we want to help develop and stay with the business.
“Apprenticeships are a great way for businesses such as ours to fill knowledge gaps and upskill our workforce. They also allow us to offer members of the team, such as Aaron, a way to further their careers. We hope that Aaron will be with us for many years to come and enjoy a successful career here at Silvery Tweed.
Aaron added, “If anyone is considering an apprenticeship and it’s in the area you want to work in, take the opportunity and run with it. I couldn’t recommend it more.”