Apprentices on track for success

Express Engineering’s apprenticeship programme is steaming ahead with four new recruits being taken on for the third consecutive year.

After beefing up the scheme last year by taking on weight lifter Kristofer Herring, the company is taking a different track this time round, appointing railway enthusiast Kristopher McDermott.

Kristopher, 16 and from Chester-le-Street became interested in trains after joining a railway club in Beamish.  Attending various workshops, he learned the fundamentals of train building and developed the engineering skills he now uses daily.

Thrilled to have been given the chance to get his career on track with Express, Kristopher said:  “I’m really enjoying my time here, having been interested in tools and machinery for years.  An apprenticeship is the best option for me to get qualified and get paid at the same time.”  

The other apprentices are Brendan Charlton, 17, from St. Robert’s School in Washington; Daniel Fullen, 16, from All Saints College, Newcastle and Liam Powell, 18 and from Kenton School, also in Newcastle.

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The young troupe began their training last month and are learning the nuts and bolts of precision engineering, including CNC milling, turning, quality assurance and spark erosion.

Bill Mole inspector team leader at Express Engineering said:  “The apprenticeships we run are a great opportunity for young people to become skilled in engineering and hopefully help in some way to fill the UK skills shortage in the trade.”

“They’re also ideal for us at Express as it means we can mould the apprentices into the engineers we want them to be and after they’ve completed the four year apprenticeship there is usually a job waiting for them.”

All four apprentices are working towards an Advanced Apprenticeship in Engineering through TDR Training, which specialises in training and placing young people in engineering and science.