National Apprenticeship Week 2019: Brandon Lee Price06 March 2019

National Apprenticeship Week, 4-8 March, shines a light on future technicians and engineers, and the courses, teachers and employers that prepare them for success. Brandon Lee Price is a mechanical engineering apprentice at Nordell.

I am currently undertaking mechanical engineering apprenticeship at Worthing-based Nordell, a Plastic Injection Moulding and Extrusion company. From its West Sussex premises, the company employs 80 people and serves over 130 customers throughout the UK, Europe, Americas and Asia. My apprenticeship is based in within the company’s tool room as I aim to become eventually become a tool maker. I have been in the position for six months.

I wanted to do something more hands on and to learn using a different style. There was lots of studying and written work while at school and although I gained good grades my passion was to work hands on. There is more incentive to work and learn as I am getting paid to learn a trade, and I get to see the final result too, so I get a sense of accomplishment in my work and learning. My parents work in the Plastic Injection moulding trade as well and my Dad has shown me how to use tools since I was younger, so I had an interest which I wanted to pursue and find out more about.

I have learnt the basics of Plastic Injection moulding, how the tools work and operate, health and safety and the need to understand the environment I am working in. In my college course so far, I have learnt how to operate a lathe safety and also bench work using manual tools.

I would certainly encourage others; school hours are so much shorter and getting into the working world and being able to learn on the job gives greater satisfaction. Having an outcome which means I am contributing to a business gives me the sense of achievement for the end of the day, and means I look forward to the next working day. I learn a trade which will ultimately build me a career and hopefully mean I can maintain employment throughout my life using the skills I am being paid to learn.

I plan to move onto the next level of my course and pursue a career in tool making.

Brandon Lee Price

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