Two apprentices at SE Controls have become the first to complete the company’s engineering apprenticeship programme, after four years of combined theoretical study and practical experience.

Both in their early 20s, Bradley Stansbie and Oliver Baines studied for a BTEC in Advanced Engineering Apprenticeship qualification at Birmingham Metropolitan College, supported by extensive training and practical experience provided by SE Controls.

While both apprenticeships covered the broad disciplines of Engineering Manufacture, each apprenticeship was tailored around the specific needs of their roles within the company. Bradley studied additional engineering maintenance modules whilst Oliver read specialised technical support studies.

The company’s high-quality support and commitment to their apprentices has now been recognised as ‘best practice’ and the approach is being recommended to other companies by the college. SE Controls are a progressive employer and work closely with Birmingham Met College.

In addition to working full time in their new roles, Bradley and Oliver have also become actively involved in mentoring the latest apprentices, to share their experiences, while helping provide additional support.

Since qualifying, Oliver has also been promoted to the role of Technical Support Engineer and he commented: “The apprenticeship scheme has been fantastic for both Bradley and me, as it’s equipped us with a range of skills and knowledge that has enabled us to do our jobs to the best of our ability. This qualification is just the start, really, as we’ll need to continue learning and acquiring new skills to keep progressing with SE Controls."

Bradley added: “Although we both enjoyed going through the apprenticeship programme and we’ve ended up with great jobs in an excellent company, there were times when the support infrastructure from the HR department as well as our work colleagues was vital to help us progress and stay focused. Without that extensive support and input, I’m sure we would still have achieved our qualifications, but it would have been a much more difficult process.”

SE Controls HR Department, explained: “It’s been a pleasure to be involved in Brad and Ollie’s development from school leavers right through to qualified skilled engineers. Their commitment and motivation has always been evident and we look forward to continuing to support them throughout their SE Controls careers."