Apprentices offered permanent positions at Fablink

By Fablink Group
schedule6th Apr 21

Fablink has in place an award-winning apprenticeship scheme which we are very proud of.  We currently have 15 apprentices across all locations that follow a structured training programme and these apprenticeships cover all aspects of the business from welding and shop floor skills, through to commercial, purchasing, finance as well as higher level apprenticeships in Management & Supervisory skills.

We acknowledge that successful apprenticeships are key to the future of our business and through a targeted recruitment programme, we can help bridge skills gaps and training needs. We also acknowledge that investing in Apprenticeships can be a risk in terms of the time and support required, however, in this instance when you are able to offer them a permanent position it makes the whole process even more worthwhile. That’s why Fablink are particularly delighted to have recently offered three apprentices permanent positions.

Nick, who is based at our Technical Centre, in Brixworth has been at Fablink for 5 years whilst carrying out his course of performing engineering operations.  He has worked hard to gain the knowledge with the aid of Fablink to become a successful Tool Maker. In his new role he is titled Junior Development Engineer.

 “Fablink has helped me grow both as an employee and as a person.  I believe starting my apprenticeship was the right choice for me and I can see myself staying at Fablink for the foreseeable future.”

Nicks mentor, Rob Baxter who is the Development Engineer at our Technical Centre, said:

“Nick first made contact with Fablink through his school work experience scheme, after completing these initial two weeks he asked to be considered for a place on the apprenticeship scheme. Nick has faced many challenges during his time within Fablink employment but has adapted and evolved to work round these issues. Fast forward to today and Nick has become a highly competent and well-liked member of the team, who has grown into the role and there are very few tasks that would faze his ability. He is now a highly valued member of the Tech Centre team”

Further North at our Evenwood site, Shane and Brodie both joined Fablink in January 2018 having started their 3-year apprenticeship in Mechanical Engineering. They have recently been offered permanent positions as Manufacturing Engineers. Since joining they have developed a large variety of skills which has enabled them to support operations, commercial and engineering functions. This valuable experience has enhanced their transition into full time roles at Fablink.

“The support we have received from our mentors has been vital, but not only to our learning and progression through various roles in the business, but also non work related experiences. We are really excited and ready to take on more responsibility as we develop in our new engineering roles and looking forward to working with the engineering team. One key difference is that we are now working more independently and becoming more involved with larger projects”

Our Head of Site Engineering, Alan Fortes comments:

“Brodie and Shane have demonstrated a true commitment to both college and work learning. They bring a fresh perspective and are happy to challenge how we do things at Fablink. Over the last three years they have developed and extended their range of skills and become an integral part of the engineering team and it’s great to have them on board in permanent roles. There is no doubt that Brodie and Shane are the future of Fablink. “