Apprenticeships - what are they?
An Apprenticeship programme offers you the opportunity to develop both your theoretical and practical skills & knowledge, all whilst gaining a plethora of valuable experiences within a workplace.
From an Apprenticeship you will gain professionally recognised qualifications (BTEC, HNC, NVQ) whilst providing a starting point for a life-long career. Typically, an Ishida Apprenticeship lasts 4 years with a mixture of attending college to day release at the Ishida Woodgate facility.
For more information on apprenticeships please go to:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/662494/Guide-to-Apprenticeships.pdf
Benefits of Apprenticeships
An apprenticeship can offer you more opportunities than any other career pathway, not only do you gain widely accredited qualifications but also you gain priceless industry knowledge and experience. The experience and practical skills you learn works hand in hand with the technical knowledge you develop through your qualifications, all whilst you are earning while you learn.
On the Job Experience
Whilst working within the company, you will work directly with our products and develop your knowledge of the business from day one. You will not only learn the technical knowledge behind our products, but also the soft skills you need to be able to succeed in the company. This will include, networking skills, presentation skills and also industry experience.
Qualifications
The qualifications that you gain are recognized across all industries and will be sponsored by the company through your apprenticeship. Over the course of the apprenticeship you will work towards an NVQ, then depending on the level at which you come in you can study towards a range of qualifications from a Level 3 BTEC all the way up to a degree.
Progression
An apprenticeship sets you up to accelerate your career against others. There is a constant progression during your apprenticeship as you are learning every day, but there are also opportunities to progress through the different placements and experiences you have. Once the apprenticeship is complete, due to your experience and capability, there may be opportunities to progress further through the company into different roles.
Earn while you learn
Alongside the qualifications and experience that the apprenticeship provides you, you will also be paid a competitive salary which is subject to an increase each year.
Meet Our Apprentices
Harry Bishop
Assembly Technician Apprentice
Joined 2017
“I have been very pleased with the quality of education and the warm, welcoming environment. Everybody I have met has been encouraging and helpful across all aspects of my learning, and I’m really looking forward to the rest of time here.”
Georgina Rhodes
Design Engineer Apprentice
Joined 2016
“My Apprenticeship so far has been an exciting experience, allowing me to develop my soft skills and expand my existing knowledge whilst also exploring new software and integrating into the Design department. Ishida is giving me the opportunity to better myself, hand-in-hand with the necessary support.
Being in a male-dominated environment does not put me off. In fact it motivates me all the more to encourage women to pursue careers in engineering.”
Emily James
Manufacturing Operations Apprentice
Joined 2015
"I have always loved working with numbers and done well in maths, when studying for A-Levels, I got involved in as many engineering-related activities as I could. Being a woman was no hinderance to entry. I believe that you get out what you put in and that working in partnership with Ishida will strengthen my chances of success."
Tom Middleton
Manufacturing Operations Apprentice
Joined 2014
“My Ishida apprenticeship has given me countless opportunities to strive and develop; from the high-quality education on offer to the immensely valuable experience I have gained through working in an engineering environment. My work at Ishida has enabled me to start my career in engineering in an incredibly positive way, giving me opportunities such as travelling abroad to work alongside senior engineers, and winning prestigious awards.”
Matthew Hancock
Electrical Engineer (Past Electrical Apprentice)
Joined 2013
"I was given many opportunities to build my education and technical knowledge, including electrical AutoCAD and SolidWorks Essentials courses. I also visited customer sites to experience machines operating under factory conditions. Now a valued member of the new applications controls team, my activities include electrical design and liaising with the production teams"
Dan Althorp
Project Engineer (Past Design Apprentice)
Joined 2011
“I’ve always wanted to be in the engineering industry and, for someone seeking an apprenticeship, Ishida offered me all the tools for a successful career. I’m now using my Mechanical Design experience to manage and develop projects across their lifecycles, from customer site survey through initial design development of processing/packaging lines to final installation and customer sign-off.”
Frequently asked questions
Opportunities
With this apprenticeship, the opportunities that are available are limitless with past apprentices travelling all over Europe to visit suppliers and work on new groundbreaking projects.
Exchanges
There have been opportunities for apprentices to have placements both internal and external to the business through the Apprentice Exchange Scheme. These exchanges include spending weeks in a supplier’s business working with their processes and learning how our parts are made, and also placements within Ishida where apprentices have rotated around departments to learn how different areas work together.
Qualifications
There will be opportunities to advance your technical knowledge through different qualifications, if you wish to go on specific courses or develop your current qualifications then Ishida will always look into facilitating this.
Projects
No matter your position in the company there are always different projects running in your department, these projects can see you having regular contact with company’s directors or even have you follow the machines to their destinations to help install them. A wide variety of different opportunities can arise for you, if you are bold enough to take them!
Post apprenticeship
There are then countless opportunities to progress further once the apprenticeship is complete, due to you already having at least 4 years of industry experience alongside high-level qualifications this will allow you to progress into new and exciting roles within the company.
Interested?
Apprenticeship Pathways
Assembly Technician
As an Ishida Assembly Technician apprentice, you will be based at the Manufacturing Centre in Woodgate Valley. Here you will spend most of your time on the shop floor, rotating around the core products and gaining hands-on experience building our core machines with our skilled Assembly Technician. As Ishida grows you will be essential in the development of the new manufacturing sections, getting the chance to build a variety of new machines.
You will also get the opportunity to diversify you network of communications further by meeting a range of workers from different departments who visit the shop floor, for example we work closely with Product Design and Quality to ensure each and every machine we manufacture is perfect.
Field Service Engineer
As an Ishida Field Service Engineer apprentice, you will begin your placement at the Manufacturing Centre in Woodgate Valley to gain an understanding of how to build our core products, side by side with our skilled Assembly Technicians. During this time, you will interact with the Field Service team, with the opportunity to accompany some of our skilled after-sales team on-site and complete an installation, commissioning, repairs or just general after-sales customer service. As you progress through your apprenticeship you will be paired with a Field Service Engineer and will spend the majority of your time on-site.
Product Design Engineer
As a product design apprentice, you are responsible for formulating the Bill of Materials for each machine, producing layouts and designing contact parts. This is all done using CAD using the modelling software SolidWorks, however liaising and cooperating with shop floor is vital in order to ensure the quality and function of the products is correct. There is also the opportunity to have placements in a number of departments including CCW design, DACS design, Applications and rectifications.
Manufacturing Operations
Those on a manufacturing operations apprenticeship are the production engineers of the future. Looking into all aspects of the production process, this apprenticeship allows you to work in a number of departments and appreciate all that goes into the manufacture of our machines. Starting by working on the shop floor, you will learn the fundamental knowledge required to build our products; from here you will go into supply chain, production planning and quality to look at each stage of our production process.
Poole
Our facility based in Poole also offers a range of apprenticeships, this is predominantly in Manufacturing through to Product Design but there are also opportunities in electrical/electronics and fabrication. The Poole base facilitates a wider variety of production although it is smaller than at Woodgate, this includes departments for design, fabrication, welding and testing.
Want to learn more?
Emerging Standards
Currently the Government are reforming the structure of Apprenticeship Programmes to implement new Apprenticeship Standards which will eventually replace the current Apprenticeship Frameworks. The difference between the Standards and Frameworks is:
- ‘Apprenticeship Framework’- An Apprenticeship Framework defines the requirements for an apprenticeship programme. It is commonly used by training providers and employers to ensure that all apprenticeship programmes are delivered consistently and to agreed standards.
- ‘Apprenticeship Standards’- The Apprenticeship Standards show what an apprentice will be doing and what is required of them, determined by the apprentice’s pathway. Standards are developed by employer groups known as ‘Trailblazers’. More Standards will be published as they are developed and agreed upon.
There are currently two Qualification Level Standards. These are the Standard 3, which is equivalent to the Advanced Apprenticeship framework and has apprentices starting on a Level 3 qualification, and there is a Standard 6 which is equivalent to a Degree Apprenticeship Framework and has apprentices starting on a Level 6 Qualification.
As the new Apprenticeship standards emerge Ishida will be moving forward with the Standard 3 for Apprentices, which will be tailored to the pathway you choose.
Unfortunately, there is not currently a Standard to accommodate for Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship starting apprentices. As a result Ishida Europe will be running the Higher Apprenticeship Framework until a new framework has been developed for Level 4 Apprentices.
Future Prospects:
Moving forward, Ishida Europe are currently laying the necessary foundations needed to support Degree Level Apprenticeships and will be soon advertising for these positions.