Colchester Institute held their annual Apprenticeship Evening on Thursday 13th February, 2025 and welcomed a record number of attendees to their Colchester Campus.
The event coincided with the National Apprenticeship Week – a week dedicated to showcasing how apprenticeships are a great and viable option for young people to consider as a career pathway.
The event was sponsored by a highly valued partner of the college MDS Civil Engineering, a specialist groundworks and civil engineering contractor working predominantly within Essex. MDS currently have 13 apprentices on the Level 2 Groundworker apprenticeship at the College.
Visitors to the event had the opportunity to speak with various employers which included: Penguin Random House, Rose Builders, Teledyne UK LTD, Essex County Fire and Rescue, Colchester City Council, Nova Automotive Group, Heybridge Dental Practice, Colchester Fuel Injection, Hutchinson Ports UK and Seymour House Day Nursery.
Prospective students were encouraged to hand out their CV’s and talk to employers about current apprenticeship vacancies. Colchester Institute’s own apprenticeship delivery team were also on hand to provide more information about entry level and degree apprenticeship options at the College.
Amanda Drew, Director of Apprenticeships and Business Solutions at Colchester Institute said: “Our Apprenticeship Information Event was a fantastic success, with over 350 attendees exploring the vast opportunities apprenticeships offer. We are incredibly grateful to the many employers who showcased their businesses in the hope of finding their next apprentice, highlighting the real-world impact and career progression apprenticeships can provide.”
If you missed the event and want to find out more about apprenticeships, you can book on to Colchester Institutes next event on Thursday 19th June, 5-7pm.
Bookings are available via their website: https://www.colchester.ac.uk/apprenticeship-events/
Carys
L3 Technician Apprenticeship at Teledyne UK Ltd
Carys talked passionately about her apprenticeship and manned the Teledyne stand alongside another apprentice at the company, she demonstrated so much confidence and was interviewed by Amanda Drew, Director of Apprenticeships during the evening talking passionately about her role, her employer and her experience as an apprentice.
“I love the variation in my role, it’s like a new job every day. I simply can’t tell you how much I love the work. All of the staff are so supportive, I’m trusted to get on with my work and to work under my own initiative.
I have one year left and I hope to stay with the company to continue my apprenticeship journey, and study a BA (Hons) degree in Mechanical Engineering.”
Father and son duo, Neil and Harvey said about the event “It’s impressive, there’s a huge variety of stands, I was expecting a lot of less practical roles – more office based, but there’s so much more hands-on, apprenticeship options for Harvey to consider. I was also surprised to discover that not all employers pay the minimum wage, which was good to hear”
Son Harvey told us “He was really interested in the employers talking about civil engineering and aircraft aviation. He found the event really helpful with diverse companies to talk to, which was more than he had expected, and left feeling really inspired.”
Mick Findlay, Health and Safety Manager spoke about his passion for the event, having been an exhibitor for many years, he talked about their reason for sponsoring the event. He shared his passion about the reason why MDS recruit apprentices every year to give back to the economy in terms of skills training and supporting young people and adults into successful careers.
MDS employ 3 school leaver apprentices and 3 18+ apprentices every year, Mick talked expressively about giving back “We’ve got a really good relationship with Colchester Institute and all of our apprentices come from here. Our apprentices seem to go from strength to strength and thrive throughout their journey. Their career path is down to them.”
Stefan Mallett with Apprentices Freddie and Dontae, part of the Hutchinson Port team, sharing their apprenticeship experiences with visitors to the event
Stefan talked about how the relationship with Colchester Institute has developed since his three years working at Hutchinson Port and why this is so important to their business. The College built a bespoke apprenticeship plan for their engineering department and they are now at the event looking to recruit for their third cohort.
Currently they have 20 apprentices within the business who are going through their Level 1 – Level 3 qualifications with the company.
“The apprenticeship scheme allows the students to feel valuable, they understand what we are looking for and understand this within the confines of what they need to learn as part of their apprenticeship. They come away with their qualifications and industry recognition with their EngTech status too, to ultimately become an engineer who can pursue their career in the industry. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship”.
Talking about their relationship with Colchester Institute, Stefan continues:
“Colchester Institute work very collaboratively with us, are welcoming and encourage us to branch out with other apprentices within the business. Changing the way we look at sustainability, they work with us to add in new courses to support the skills within our industry. I can’t praise them enough.”
