Via its exemplary apprenticeship programme, Yamato attracts the most talented trainees
Yamato Scale offers a range of exciting apprenticeship schemes as part of its commitment to attract and retain the best talent. We spoke to former apprentice Reece Hill who has just passed his Level 3 NVQ Extended Diploma in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. He says he couldn’t have done it without the company’s help.
Reece Hill is on cloud nine – with good reason. He joined Yamato in November 2016 unsure of how to progress his career. Now, after three years of study and hard work he is a qualified electrical and electronic engineer with abundant professional opportunities ahead of him.
Sports-mad Reece left school with an NVQ Level 3 sports qualification but was uncertain how to turn his passion for sport into a well-paid job.
As luck would have it, he lived close to Yamato UK’s Leeds base and knew the company was highly respected, both locally and as part of a global engineering brand.
Reece said: “I’d heard Yamato has a very supportive culture and I got the opportunity to have a look around its Leeds offices and factory. A month later I had an interview, and I was really impressed by the people, the facilities and the company’s history – and I immediately felt it was a place I’d like to work.”
Reece joined as an apprentice checkweigher builder, learning everything from scratch. He spent the first year of his apprenticeship attending college one day a week, funded by Yamato, with the rest of the week being closely supervised on the factory floor.
He recalls that his managers went out of their way to support him throughout his apprenticeship.
He said: “They gave me an afternoon off on a Thursday or Friday depending on how busy we were, so that I could focus on my studies. After the first year, my NVQ course was entirely online and I was continually assessed through coursework. By giving me that studying time my managers did a lot to help get me ready and it was because of this that I had the determination to complete the course.”
During his apprenticeship, Reece learned the intricacies of how checkweighers operate, how to fault-find, and the safety aspects involved in operating the machinery.
Reece said: “I worked with experienced engineers who were hugely knowledgeable and supportive. If I encountered a problem, I was properly taught what to do and shown how to do it.
“It was very hands-on, doing a day a week at college, then learning online and working in the factory building and learning how to repair checkweighers.”
Reece’s career prospects have been transformed by his hard work and achievement.
“I can do quality assurance checks, which I couldn’t have done two years ago. My level of responsibility has gone up. I started by shadowing the experienced engineers and I don’t need to do this now. I’ve also passed my forklift licence with Yamato’s support.
“Now I’m qualified, I can’t wait to get out to customers, on-site, to understand how their production lines operate so that I can make sure everything is working as it should be, carrying out any necessary repairs, installing spare parts and helping with the installation of brand new equipment.”
It is clear that Reece is excited about his future with Yamato.
He said: “I feel really happy. I am glad I passed my diploma and stuck with it, even though it was extremely hard work. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my managers and colleagues and now it’s done I feel it is a great achievement.
“It’s fantastic in terms of job satisfaction and I feel that am now in a position where I can move up the ranks. I want to keep on learning, get out on the road to customers and carry on what I’m doing until I retire – hopefully at Yamato.”