Apprentice Case Studies

Maria joined the Reliance Precision Apprenticeship Scheme after achieving A-levels in English Literature, Psychology and Product Design. Whilst not typical subjects for someone wanting a career in engineering, Maria credits her creativity and inquisitiveness of wanting to know how things work as drawing her towards the industry. Maria was also a member of the Air Cadets which gave her exposure to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) activities from a young age. Researching apprenticeship opportunities locally, Maria came across Reliance on Twitter and asked if she could visit the organisation to understand more about the work they did. She decided to apply because liked how diverse the company was in terms of industries and products it made. She also felt there was potential for different career directions in the future.

Maria began her first year in the Apprentice Training Facility learning how to use the various machines, before progressing to a business-wide rotation in Year 2. Her third year was spent in the Standard Products and Integrated Solutions business unit as an Apprentice Technical Engineer. In this role, she provides support to the team responsible for the technical aspects of Reliance’s range of standard products. She updated Solidworks drawings and generated new product drawings, where necessary. During this year Maria received The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) West Yorkshire Local Network (WYLN) 2021 Award for Student Excellence. Celebrating the incredible talent within engineering and technology, she was nominated by her tutors at Kirklees Engineering College for being an all-round stand out student.

Now in the final year of her apprenticeship, Maria continues in her Apprentice Technical Engineer role. She is involved in various long-term product development projects. She comments “I love when we have a design or theory working on paper and then we take to prototype, then manufacture and then test to see if it works in reality. It’s fantastic to be able to take a concept and follow it through to the very end. It’s a great way of learning all aspects.”

Maria hopes to continue in the Standard Products and Integrated Solutions team when she graduates from the Reliance Apprenticeship Scheme later this year. Keen to continue her learning, she would like to broaden her knowledge as much as possible, to maintain flexibility for future direction as Reliance develops and expands.

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