Hello From Our New Apprentices!

2020 has been the year of change. Every business up and down the country, in fact, every business around the world has felt the effects of this year and Don Valley is no different. 

As a company, we’ve had to adapt to the needs of a pandemic whilst simultaneously continuing to grow as a business. In spite of Covid, we took the decision to take on three new apprentices. 

Given the circumstances, this was a significant decision to make but here at Don Valley, we are committed to creating opportunities for the younger generations in the local area. 

This is what our new team members had to say about the application process and how they’re currently finding their new life at DVE:

Rachel

“I found out about the opportunity at Don Valley through the AMRC training centre. I let them know I would be interested in design and that’s when I got told there was a place that I may be interested in near to where I live.

After some research, I decided to go to the interview. The interview was very daunting as I have never really had a serious face to face interview before, however, I felt I did my best and came out feeling confident. The interview itself was socially distanced with the Managing Director and one other senior member of staff. I was shown around the workplace learning what Don Valley was all about (from a distance of course). 

I am feeling very confident about my new role and the future of Don Valley as it has helped me to establish my start in engineering. I hope that I can add to the business to help it grow and thrive!”

Brodie

“I had just finished a degree in Inclusive Education and Disability Studies. Over the last 2 years of finishing my degree, I decided that it was not the career path that I wanted to go down. As I finished my degree I started to do some research into engineering, as it is something I enjoyed when I was younger; I had always been intrigued by it. So, I applied to the AMRC training centre in the hopes of getting an apprenticeship. I was not very optimistic about my chances as it had been 4 years since my Maths A-Level and 6 years since my Physics GCSE. There were also fewer apprenticeship places available due to the current pandemic. 

I was contacted in late August about an offer for an interview with Don Valley Engineering. I was both excited and nervous because this was a fantastic opportunity but I knew I would be interviewing against people who had more experience than I did. My interview went very well and I got the apprenticeship!

I was so grateful that not having done maths and physics in so long hadn’t prevented me from a career in engineering. I have been here at Don Valley for 2 and a half months now and I absolutely love it! No day is the same and there is always a new challenge. I have learnt so much in such a short amount of time. 

My hopes for my future at Don Valley are to do well in my apprenticeship and then get fully involved in, and possibly be in charge of, the amazing projects they do here.” 

Callum

“I found out about the opportunity through a family member who recommended the company.

My time at DVE so far has been interesting but challenging. Interesting in the sense that I have learnt a lot about the company and the things we do in such a short space of time, but also challenging as it is a different type of job to what I had.

The interview ran like a normal one would but with the additional safety measures put in place such as sanitiser and social distancing measures. The process itself was made more comfortable as it was more of a discussion about how the company works and how I, as an apprentice, would fit in rather than being asked lots of questions. This helped to make me feel more comfortable rather than nervous. 

I am currently enjoying my new role and learning a variety of different skills! I am excited about my future with DVE due to the variety of work available and the opportunities and experiences that would be hard to find anywhere else.” 

In the short time that our new team members have been here, they have already got stuck in! Below they are photographed with Design Engineer Sam Janney, carrying out a sieve analysis of a bulk material so the DVE Screen division can size a new machine!

Over the next few years, we look forward to watching each of them develop into competent, innovative engineers. They have all made a great start, let’s keep it going!



Comments are closed.