Siemens UK & Ireland has opened a Junior Factory at its electronic-component facility in Congleton. The engineering group described it as a “factory within a factory” that will be run by apprentices aged 16 to 21.  They will take on leadership roles and be responsible for the factory’s progress.

The Junior Factory will assemble parts that were previously imported and will be responsible for sourcing and supply-chain management, production of sub-assemblies, quality management, budgeting and transfer pricing, and performance management.

Chief executive Roland Aurich: “This is a really innovative project, and the aim is very clear: to train up our young apprentices for the long-term challenges they will face in their careers, while fostering a culture of innovation, autonomy and entrepreneurship. We need to make a bold statement in Siemens and across industry: ‘Be an engineering apprentice, and you can go from the shopfloor to the top floor’. Schemes like this help young people understand how an engineering apprenticeship can lead to a rewarding career.” 

Richard Lawton, an apprentice who is acting as the head of the Junior Factory, said: “I never thought that, as part of an apprenticeship, I would be given the opportunity to take on this level of responsibility — not just training and learning, but actually running the facility as a business. I am really looking forward to working with the team members and making the project a success over the coming year, as well as learning about how running a full assembly line works in practice.”