Harris, a manufacturing apprentice who is studying a HNC at Bridgend College, was nominated for this award in recognition of his personal progress and positive impact on Renishaw’s operation in South Wales. He started his career at Renishaw’s Miskin site in 2018 as a 2nd year apprentice while finishing BTEC Level 3 studies at Coleg Y Cymoedd and is currently in the fourth year of his apprenticeship. Harris has worked on a variety of projects during his apprenticeship, including designing a more efficient Z axis testfor additive manufacturing machines and also spending a few weeks in Germany to learn about different techniques used in heavy machinery.
“Being nominated for the award recognises the time and effort my colleagues have put in to train me into a future Process Development Engineer,” explained Harris. “Renishaw has provided me the opportunity to focus on my further education and gain industry knowledge, without the struggle of balancing the two. My colleagues have supported me during every step of my apprenticeship and further education studies by sharing their knowledge and experience, which I have applied to my role and college projects.”
“Ryan’s hard work and commitment over the past four years has been remarkable,” explained Simon Biggs, Education Outreach Officer at Renishaw. “His work ethic, attitude and determination to succeed as a Renishaw apprentice has been truly impressive and he will make a brilliant Process Development Engineer. His work colleagues put trust in his judgement and regularly comment on his mature approach to engineering tasks.”
“I initially got into engineering after my Uncle told me about his career as an engineer” explained Harris. “My school ran an engineering GCSE course and this gave me the opportunity to attend an open day at Renishaw’s Miskin manufacturing site. After seeing the equipment and meeting some of the employees, I knew I had to apply to its manufacturing apprenticeship.”
Renishaw currently has around 200 apprentices in the UK, and is recruiting a further 51 apprentices for the Summer 2021 intake. The company offers a range of award-winning apprenticeship programmes in engineering, manufacturing, software, IT and embedded electronics engineering. An apprenticeship at Renishaw is an opportunity to earn-while you learn, and degree level apprentices are able to obtain their university qualifications with no student debt. Further benefits include a competitive salary and an extensive benefits package, with onsite gyms, medical insurance and pension.