• Muhammad Syed
  • Sam Pearce
  • Monica Holyoak
  • Robert Burgess
  • Nathan Walsh

Level 3 Manufacturing Engineering | Production Department

When did you join Chelton?

"I joined Chelton on 12th September 2022, which is the same day I started my college course at Reading College. I am in the first year of my apprenticeship."

What made you choose to do an apprenticeship?

"The amount of experience you gain from doing an apprenticeship and the money aspect while learning seemed perfect for me since I learn more practically, and I am getting the same qualifications with experience and without debt. By the time graduates finish university, I will already have years of experience in the same role, no debt and will be earning money."

What is your job role & how does it support the business?

"I currently work in antennas, working on a variety of antennas. This in turn helps the business by getting orders made and completed, and helping everything run smoothly to gain profit."

How has working at Chelton helped you?

"It has helped me understand the basics of engineering and the working life. It has given me confidence and understanding whether I were to apply for future jobs elsewhere or continue working at Chelton."

What advice would you give to a new apprentice?

"Don’t be shy, everyone is friendly. Mistakes will always happen, but they help you learn. And most importantly, never quit."

What have been your biggest successes so far?

"My biggest achievement while working at Chelton is learning a new skill, which is soldering. It has steadied my hand for precision. I have put this into practise and it helps me finish my jobs to a quality level. Another personal achievement is being able to get into a disciplined state of waking up early to travel to work and remain caught up with my college work and daily activities. It really gives me a challenge for self-improvement."

How do you manage your time between work & study?

"I manage this, alongside other things like my own business, by simply waking up early. I have a 3-hour train journey in and 3 hours out so I get my laptop and work through the journey. This helps me keep on track with my studies and not interfere with work."

What do you hope to achieve from your apprenticeship?

"I hope to achieve a large skillset of engineering capabilities and a vast amount of experience alongside completing my course and qualification."

IMG 1981

Level 4 HNC in Mechanical Engineering at Reading College | Engineering Department

When did you join Chelton?

"I joined in September 2019 doing a full time college course at Bournemouth and Poole College while working at Chelton. I am in my fourth year of my apprenticeship."

What is your job role & how does it support the business?

"My role is a mechanical engineer in the avionics business unit. In this role I support the business unit by giving mechanical support to make any changes to drawings and bill of materials, and sometimes to design jigs, to make the production and testing easier."

What made you choose to do an apprenticeship?

"I chose to do an apprenticeship as I wanted to carry on with my education, but I also wanted to get some working experience. This meant that an apprenticeship was the best route for me."

What is the most useful thing you have learnt so far whilst completing your course and working at Chelton?

"I think the most useful thing that I’ve learnt from working at Chelton so far would be the people skills. I have learnt this from working between a large range of different roles and the 3D modelling skills I’ve learnt from my time as a mechanical engineer."

How has working at Chelton helped you?

"This has helped me transition between a college environment and a work environment. It has helped me grow in confidence and has helped me gain a range of new skills."

What have been your biggest successes so far?

"At college I haven’t dipped below a distinction on my course work thanks to the help from my team around me supporting me through my college work. At work it would be what I have completed in the model shop on the KF-21 antennas and the jig I designed in mechanical engineering for the DACU4c."

How do you manage your time between work & study?

"I use my spare time between work and college to do parts of my assignments to ensure that I don’t need to rush it at the end date."

What do you hope to achieve from your apprenticeship?

"I hope to achieve a level 4 HNC in mechanical engineering as well as a good knowledge from my time as a mechanical engineer so that I can become a mechanical engineer and pass my apprenticeship to the best of my ability."

Sam

Digital Marketer Level 3 | Marketing Department

When did you start at Chelton?

"I started in February 2022 at Chelton and College. I have almost finished my first year of my apprenticeship, which is an 18-month course."

What is your job role and how does it support the business?

"My job role is Digital Marketing Apprentice. I work within the Marketing Team, primarily on the website and social media."

What made you choose to do an apprenticeship?

"In my opinion, this is the best experience a student can get. Immediately putting what you have learnt into practise is the best way to understand it. Additionally, it is great to be familiar with the workplace and have on-the-job experience."

What is the most useful thing you have learnt so far?

"You must be passionate about and believe in what you are selling in order to be successful in marketing. This can be interpreted as a lesson in life that you need to have passions that excite and motivate you to lead a better life. You need to be passionate about what you do."

How has working at Chelton helped you?

"It has provided me with skills that have allowed me to design, build, implement and manage various marketing opportunities across multiple platforms."

What has been your biggest success so far?

"So far, my greatest accomplishments at Chelton have been both creating and managing a new feature that has been implemented on our website, and writing a blog post about one of our products and publishing this on the website."

What do you hope to achieve from the apprenticeship?

"I hope to consolidate a wide range of digital marketing skills in order to understand how to develop marketing strategies and content that will resonate with an audience and help to generate and raise brand awareness. I want to continue to grow my skills and experience to advance my career in the marketing industry."

What advice would you give to a new apprentice?

"Don’t be afraid to share your thoughts, by sharing your ideas you are creating an opportunity to learn. Questions are necessary for growth, ask as many as you can and there will always be someone who can help. It can be difficult to feel confident but remember you are constantly learning and working to improve your skills. Be proud of yourself!"

Monica

Level 4 Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Reading College | Engineering Department | previously completed Level 2 and Level 3 Engineering Course whilst at Chelton

When did you join Chelton?

"I joined in September 2019 after my GCSE’s. The first year I was based in Bournemouth studying the level 2. The next two years I was studying the level 3 at Reading College whilst working at Chelton. I started my level 4 in September 2022, which is due to be complete in September 2024."

What is your job role & how does it support the business? I currently work in service?

"support with Tetra Radios. I repair the radios and control heads as well as go out to site to conduct maintenance tasks when required."

What made you choose to do an apprenticeship?

"I thought this would be the best way to get into the industry as it allows me to gain practical skills as well as the qualifications. This makes the college work far easier to understand as I am able to apply a lot of the knowledge gained from college and apply it to my work, and vice versa."

What is the most useful thing you have learnt so far whilst completing your course and working at Chelton?

"Everything I have learnt in college has been useful, especially the electronic side of the course which I can easily apply to my work with repairing radios and control heads. At Chelton I have rotated around the business which allows me to gain a broader understanding of the business. It has helped me improve in my current role and streamline the department."

What have been your biggest successes so far?

"Working in service support, as I really enjoy the opportunity to travel to site, work with Tetra radios and gain a broad understanding of products as I get to see them not working, repair them and see them working. It gives me a great sense of achievement."

How has working at Chelton helped you?

"Whilst working at Chelton my confidence has improved significantly thanks to the rest of the team, I have worked with. It has also helped me develop a greater understanding of businesses operate."

How do you manage your time between work & study?

"I don’t….it manages me!!

I spend a lot of time at home studying and completing work for college or towards the NVQ."

What do you hope to achieve from your apprenticeship?

"I hope to be able to get a job and relevant engineering qualifications where I am. I hope that I can get a high level in these qualifications allowing me to be a more useful member of the team. After completing the apprenticeship, I hope to progress my career and develop into an electrical engineer as this interests me a lot."

Robert

Level 4 HNC in Electrical/Electronic Engineering at Reading College | Engineering Department

When did you join Chelton?

"I joined in September 2019 after completing my A-Levels. I am currently in the first year of a Level 4 HNC in electrical/electronic engineering course at Reading College."

What is your job role & how does it support the business?

"I am currently part of the Digital Signal Processing team in the Avionics business unit. I am working on an internal project to create a test system for our anti-jam products. This will support the business by increasing reliability, fidelity, repeatability and efficiency when testing in benign conditions without needing to outsource."

What made you choose to do an apprenticeship?

"I chose this over going to university because I believe that work experience is essential nowadays when it comes to finding a job. This gives me the hands-on experience that I wouldn’t get from university."

What is the most useful thing you have learnt so far whilst completing your course and working at Chelton?

"The most important thing I have learnt at Chelton is how to properly manage my time so that I can carry out my duties in the workplace whilst still having time to complete the college course I am studying."

What advice would you give to a new apprentice?

"Don’t be afraid to ask for help when doing something you are not sure about, especially if it is your first time doing it. Asking for help and acting on that advice shows you are listening and willing to learn."

What have been your biggest successes so far?

"Being able to complete the level 3 Engineering BTEC I was studying during the second and third year of my apprenticeship, with all the assignments being graded as merit or higher. It showed how what I was taught can be applied in the workplace to achieve high grades."

How do you manage your time between work & study?

"By setting aside a few hours a week I can ensure I get more work complete and handed in on time. I have found it’s easier to complete an assignment as you learn it rather than wait until the deadline."

What do you hope to achieve from your apprenticeship?

"The main aspect I want to gain is a good amount of work experience and knowledge of how a business like Chelton operates. After completing my apprenticeship, I hope to continue my training and progress with my career at Chelton."

Nathan
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