Engineering Apprenticeship: A Career Path in the UK
Stuart Cole’s Apprenticeship Journey
When Stuart Cole left school, he started working for a major plastics company in the UK. His apprenticeship lasts for three years and involves a combination of paid work, on-the-job training, and study at a local college.
Learning and Development
Stuart has gained valuable practical skills through on-the-job training, including teamwork, problem-solving, communication, and using new technologies. He also had day release to attend college one day a week in the first two years and two days a week in his final year. In his final year, he is completing an HNC (Higher National Certificate) in Engineering.
Challenges and Rewards
Stuart acknowledges that balancing work and study can be challenging, especially when his friends are enjoying their free time. However, he is motivated by the prospect of career advancement. Once fully qualified and with more experience, he hopes to be promoted to team leader, which would mean more responsibility and better pay.
What Stuart’s Company Does
Stuart’s company manufactures a wide range of plastic products, from small components for medical equipment to large water pipes (the blue ones replacing metal pipes).
Apprenticeship Structure
Stuart’s apprenticeship is structured as follows:
- Year 1 & 2: One day a week at college, the rest on-the-job training.
- Year 3: Two days a week at college, the rest on-the-job training.
Benefits of an Apprenticeship
Apprenticeships offer a unique opportunity to earn while you learn, gain practical skills, and work towards a recognized qualification. They can lead to a rewarding career in a variety of industries.
Keywords
Apprenticeship, Engineering, UK, Career, Training, HNC, Team Leader, Job, Skills
Anne’s Role as a Computing Support Assistant
Job Description
Anne works as a Computing Support Assistant, providing technical assistance to users. She enjoys the variety and challenge of her job.
Common Problems
Anne deals with a range of hardware and software issues, including printer problems (paper jams), users struggling to find options in programs (especially word processing), computers freezing (often due to memory problems), and user errors (e.g., printers not switched on or lack of paper).
Keeping Up-to-Date
Anne stays current with the latest developments in computing through magazines, the internet, and courses. She finds courses particularly helpful for learning about new operating systems and software applications.
Guy’s Job Interview for an IT Helpdesk Position
Interview with Mr. Jones
Guy Thompson is interviewing for an IT Helpdesk position with Mr. Jones. Guy has two years of experience at ASL Helpdesk and previously worked for a computer company in Japan. He is proficient in providing online support and has experience dealing with a variety of technical issues and users.
Job Requirements
The position requires strong technical skills and “soft skills” (people-handling skills). The helpdesk staff needs to be able to empathize with users, remain calm under pressure, gather information effectively, troubleshoot problems, and explain solutions clearly.
Job Responsibilities
The position involves working on the helpdesk, providing support to users, and taking on some management responsibilities.
Gerunds and Prepositions
Gerunds
Gerunds are verbs ending in “-ing” that function as nouns. They are used after certain verbs and phrases.
Examples
- Cooking is one of her hobbies.
- Cycling is fun.
- Getting a good job is not easy.
- Finding a parking space is quite difficult in this area.
- Driving becomes more and more expensive.
- No smoking in this area.
- Working overtime is quite common in this company.
- Eating fruits and vegetables is good for your health.
- Making fun of other people is not nice.
- Learning about other cultures makes people more tolerant.
Prepositions with Gerunds
Certain prepositions are commonly used with gerunds.
Examples
- She is good at dancing.
- He is crazy about singing.
- He concentrates on physics.
- They are afraid of swimming in the sea.
- She complains about losing the match.
- Sam dreams of/about being a popstar.
- He is interested in making friends.
- My uncle is talking about going on holiday by plane.
- We insist on cooking the dinner ourselves.
- We are looking forward to going out at the weekend.
Richard’s Application for a Network Designer Position
Cover Letter
Richard René Pastuña has recently completed his higher degree in IT, specializing in Computers in Network. He is writing to express his interest in the Network Designer position advertised in the Telecommunications Engineering Journal. He highlights his experience in switching and transmission, gained during his studies and a six-month exchange program in Sweden. He emphasizes his teamwork, communication skills, technical abilities, and eagerness to learn. He is keen to join a leading telecoms company like Anglo Telecom and looks forward to discussing his application further.
Vocabulary for IT and Technical Support
The document includes a glossary of terms related to IT and technical support, such as “paper jamming,” “computer freezes,” “hard disk crashes,” “viruses,” “pre-loaded,” “CPU,” “RAM,” and others.