Welshpool-based precision engineering firm Dawson Shanahan is in its third year of running an engineering apprenticeship scheme and is welcoming applicants for its 2018 intake.

The company, a specialist in cold forming and CNC machining, already has nine apprentices and intends to add up to four more this summer.

The recruitment process will start at a company Open Day in February, followed by an increasingly challenging interview process — and a test.

The most promising candidates will be invited back for a week’s work experience, and the top three or four will be offered apprenticeships.

The scheme can lead to a variety of qualifications, and it has different entry levels; while most candidates join after their GCSEs, some may have just completed A-levels.

Ken Toop, who is in charge of apprentice training, said: “It encourages local schools to see us as a preferred employer.

"It is a good way to promote engineering in the area, and it helps us source the various skills that will further enhance our operations.”

In their first year, apprentices spend three days a week at college; in their second year, this drops to one day, as they spend more time in different departments and in the company’s training school, learning key theory — including engineering drawing — and technical skills such as ‘speeds and feeds’.

The training school is a separate area in the factory, dedicated to apprentice training. As well as having classroom facilities, it includes a range of equipment, including a new CNC wire-eroding machine.

The apprenticeship scheme has already produced two ‘time-served’ apprentices, who now work full-time in the toolroom.
Mr Toop added: “We’re looking for all-rounders — people who can solve problems, are computer-literate and can program.

“Anyone who would like to learn more about our scheme and our upcoming Open Day can learn more on the Dawson Shanahan Web site (www.dawson-shanahan.co.uk/engineering-apprentice).”