Transformative Work Experience leads to Apprenticeship with local Employer

04 Sep 2023

Published in: Member News

---

Successful work placements leads to apprenticeship with local engineering business

---

Cooper Coated Coil, specialists in coatings to steel and aluminium substrate materials, benefited from taking on City of Wolverhampton College student after they hired from following a successful placement.

To avoid the minefield of hiring pre-“qualified” engineers, the company plan was to start hiring apprentices to mould to our unique requirements as part of long term succession planning. Starting with work experience was a way to access people already on their academic journey who will shortly be looking for employment.

After contacting City of Wolverhampton College, the Industrial Placement team were able to promote the opportunity to currently Engineering students. Following shortlisting, Cooper Coated Coil selected Zak Derbyshire for an initial 30 hour placement trial. This gave all parties the opportunity to see how trial the relationship as well as ensuring Zak completes the minimum hours requirement for work experience of his course.

After a meeting following the initial period, Cooper Coated Coil were incredibly impressed but the learners attitude and aptitude to the work given to him. The College and employer met periodically afterwards to review progress and introduce apprenticeships standards available.

Following the end of his course, Cooper Coated Coil hired Zak as an Level 3 Engineering Technician Apprentice.

Speaking about the experience, Jason Rowney, Engineering Manager at Cooper Coated Coil said " As a company, it appears that we have found our next full time member of the engineering staff, with the opportunity to develop a tailored skillset.

"The liaison from the college has been very open and supportive. There were several onsite meetings before the student began work experience, and there have been periodic progress meetings throughout.

"This has turned out, as we hoped, as a perfect opportunity to assess whether a potential future employee has all the desirable fundamental traits, (politeness, attitude to work, attitude to learning presentation etc.) without having to fully hire them first.

If you are interested in learning how you could work with college with work experience and industrial placements, please contact hobbsr@wolvcoll.ac.uk or call 01902 821165.