| 2016-09-16 |    |
JCB Apprentices Earn While They Learn
Eight JCB apprentices are celebrating their graduation with foundation degrees – without running up massive student debts.
The group chose to ‘earn while they learn’ by becoming higher apprentices at JCB rather than heading to university. Their decision is now paying dividends as all have qualified with foundation degrees in engineering without spending a single penny on their education.
left to right; Todd Bradshaw, Sam Turner, Jak Fuce, Catherine Bull, Oliver Jones, David Layne, Adam Varley and Robert Clark.
The group became JCB Higher Apprentices in 2013, combining study with practical workplace learning. Now they are embarking on further study which will see them attain full Bachelor of Engineering degrees (BEng).
JCB Technical and Professional Development Manager Miles Pixley
said:
“Many people prefer the Higher Apprenticeship route because
it enables them to earn money while they are learning and not have
loans that they must then pay back when they earn a certain salary
later in life.
“The opportunity to undertake real paid work while learning on the job and studying one day a week at college to achieve a foundation degree is a fantastic proposition for a school leaver with good A-levels or a Level 3 apprenticeship. To then have the chance to go on to achieve a full Bachelor of Engineering degree is the icing on the cake.”
Adam Varley, 23, of Wetley Rocks, near Stoke-on-Trent, is among the group which has graduated with a three-year Foundation Degree under the JCB Higher Apprenticeship scheme.
Adam, who works as a Design Engineer at JCB
Heavy Products in Uttoxeter, said:
“I like the freedom to earn as you learn and I
am now looking forward to completing my full BEng degree at Sheffield
Hallam University. It was definitely the right route to take. The
knowledge and training you receive from colleagues at JCB is invaluable.
You learn quickly and thoroughly and that has definitely helped
me over the past three years.”
Oliver Jones re-located from Ormskirk, in Lancashire, to live in Uttoxeter after being accepted on the JCB Higher Apprenticeship programme – and has never looked back.
The 22-year-old who works as a Quality Engineer at the JCB
Power Systems factory in Foston, Derbyshire, where JCB engines are manufactured,
said:
“I had the opportunity to go to a traditional red brick
university but felt that I could end up with debts that I could
not pay back until much later in life. This option seemed a much
better way to go.
“I was never too keen about going to university because I wanted to be involved in work-based learning. However, I wanted to have the high-end qualifications to progress my career. The Higher Apprenticeship combines both and is really the best of both worlds as far as I am concerned.
“Because I am earning money and JCB is sponsoring me to do the degree, it gave me the security I needed to move to Staffordshire and enrol on the programme. The whole experience so far has been fantastic.”
During their apprenticeships the group benefitted from on-the-job learning as JCB engineers. They also attended college once a week for classroom-based studies. As well as achieving Foundation Degree qualifications, they also received an EAL NVQ Level 4 Diploma in Mechanical Engineering.
Catherine Bull, 21, of Shavington, Cheshire, who has also graduated, worked at the JCB World Parts Centre in Uttoxeter during her studies. She is now studying for a BEng Degree at Sheffield Hallam University. She joined the JCB programme after completing her A-levels.
She said:
“I really like the work-based learning because it gives
you perfect hands-on experience. You have also got three years
of earning under your belt, which puts you at an advantage compared
to full-time university students.”
The other five successful graduates are Todd Bradshaw, 21, of Uttoxeter; Jak Fuce, 21, of Uttoxeter; Sam Turner, 22, of Birmingham; David Layne, 21, of Uttoxeter and Robert Clark, 24, of Crewe.
