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Archive: Kita Newsletter Summer 2010
“Since I was about 4 I’ve been taking things apart to find out how they work, to the annoyance of my parents, so working for MEMS Power Generation, as an Apprentice Mechanical Engineer is not a surprising career path.
I joined MEMS when I was 16, after working in a cycle shop as a mechanic for 3 years, so I already had background knowledge in mechanical fixings and elements. I signed on to do a 4-year Apprenticeship and completed my NVQ Level 2 and relevant certificates in 2 years, which is when I was enrolled with Kita.
I now am working towards my NVQ Level 3 at my workplace and BTEC National Certificate in Mechanical Engineering at Swale Skills Centre, Sittingbourne. I am intending to carry on my education by completing a Foundation Degree.
I am now 20 and been working for MEMS nearly 4 years. In that time I have completed, along with my NVQ, Certificates in Electrically Controlled Engines and even a small forklift license.
Just after I finished my second year as an apprentice, I was promoted to become an on-call Engineer, meaning I am sent out on a rota basis to repair diesel generators out in the field, self-sufficiently. I was really proud of this achievement, as any young person would be, and it was this that made me decide to go in for the 2010 National Apprenticeship Awards.
I applied for ‘Advanced Apprentice of the Year’, as I was in my advanced stage of my apprenticeship, but the awards cater for people from the age of 14, who are not doing apprenticeships, but work-based learning, so there is plenty of opportunities for everyone to apply.
Application is done online, via a dedicated website. A virtual form is filled in with questions relating to the applicants experience, personality and various other factors. It was easy to do and can be filled-in in stages. Once the form is sent off and the application date over, each entry is judged in a regional panel.
To become National Apprentice of the Year you need to first win regional judging. This is the stage I got to; I received an email telling me that I had got through two judging panels and that I would be entered into the final for South East Advanced Apprentice of the Year. I was up against two other Advanced Apprentices who had achieved equally high standards of work.
The final was held at Great Windsor Park, Surrey and was more like an Oscars event then an apprenticeship prize giving. Although the evening ended with me becoming a Highly Commended entrant and not the winner, a sense of real achievement was felt and that was more than enough for me and my company, who supported me throughout.
I would recommend the Apprenticeship Awards for anyone who feels their hard work and dedication to their job and training needs recognising in a grand scale. You don’t need to be an academic student or worker to enter or even win these awards!
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Steve Clarke, my department Manager, who provided me with great support during the application progress, City and Guilds, for running the awards and to Kita, for providing the vital training that all apprentices need and to Swale Skills Centre, for excellent academic training.”
Ashley Stevens
Apprentice Mechanical Engineer
MEMS Power Generation
I have always worked with the public in one form or another, firstly in a shop and then as a carpet fitter delivering goods, so I have always been able to talk to people and make polite conversation. However I have never been what you would call a confident person and so when a young lady came into our reception and said “You could do an NVQ in Customer Services”, I thought “On your bike, oh no I can’t, I don’t know the first thing about Customer Services and not only that, I am far too old for that sort of thing!”.
So the young lady said “You are never too old and you are already doing it”. She showed me a form and told me to read it and tick all of the things on the sheet that I did. So I took the form just to get rid of her, went home and ticked all of the boxes as instructed. Guess what? I think that I ticked nearly all of the boxes. This form turned out to be a list of the units within the Customer Service NVQ.
A short time later the lady came back into the office and asked me if I had filled the form in. I showed it to her and she took great delight in telling me again “See you are already doing it all, sign here…” So I did and I started my first NVQ.
“I must be stark raving bonkers” I thought, “going back to school at the age of 40 (or thereabouts), well maybe it was 40 and a couple of extra months…!”
I was handed all of the information and shown what was going to happen and what I was expected to do. I started to read the units that we decided I should tackle, but found that I really struggled to understand the language that they were using. I told my tutor that I didn’t understand what they wanted and she translated the questions into a form that I could understand (why do we need to use three long words when one short one would do? I suppose that is what they call progress!)
Whilst I was doing the course I needed to take time off through illness. Fortunately I was able to put my work on hold. There was no pressure at all to come back or carry on before I was ready and my tutor was brilliant and really supportive throughout the whole period, always making sure that I was ok and telling me not to come back until I was 100% better.
When I was able to continue, I have to admit that I found all of the units challenging, but although I was burning the midnight oil sometimes, I really did have fun doing it.
I finished my first NVQ and thought “I enjoyed that, but thank goodness it is all over”. “Are you ready to do level three?” she said. ”No I don’t think so thanks, level two was hard enough.” “It’s just the same but a bit more in depth” she said. Why do I always fall for the chat of a pretty girl?
Well as you have no doubt guessed by now, I signed up to do level three. A bit more in depth? I will never believe another thing that lady tells me! I did have more translation problems with the units but my trusty tutor was always there to explain it to me in words of one syllable. I thought that unit 7 was a bit of a nightmare; I think my tutor let me do that one near the end to give me more confidence with the rest of the course. However I completed my level three and have been told that I have a certificate to come, so I must have done something right.
I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to my company, Cabot Financial, for funding these qualifications and supporting me throughout. It has helped me to build up so much confidence in myself. Also KITA for all of their help and guidance, especially through the difficult times.
Lastly, but far from least, I want to say a huge thank you to Diane Nathan, the young lady who talked me into doing the NVQs in the first place. Diane took on the thankless task of trying to educate a grumpy old man and encouraged and pushed him to achieve success, when all he wanted to do was sit in front of the television and vegetate.
Thank you Diane, when I needed extra help you never said no, you were always willing to help. You are a star and I hope that all of your learners appreciate what hard work and dedication you put in to all of your students. On behalf of them all I would like to say a huge thank you and “keep up the good work!”
Thank you all again for everything.
Derek Mitten
Cabot Financial (Europe) Ltd
