Meet our Apprentices

Mar 8, 2017|

• Bisley Leute

Apprentices are the lifeblood of businesses today and Bisley is no exception; we’ve employed and supported apprentices for over 20 years now. To celebrate National Apprentice Week, we met up with some of our apprentices to find out more about their life at Bisley.

Today, we get to know Richard Warwick.  He joined Bisley in 2004, completed his apprenticeship with us and progressed to become Section Leader of the Tool room. 

Describe a typical day. 
There is no typical day really, as my job offers a lot of variety and there is always something different to do. In the Tool Room, our main responsibility is to ensure that the production line functions smoothly and any breakdowns are fixed quickly. Working on the tools that create new products is always exciting and brings its own challenges. We are required to work closely with colleagues and other departments to manufacture tooling for our machines to make sure our products turn out the best they possibly can.

What attracted you to Bisley? 
I wanted to work in mechanical engineering and Bisley is renowned for its strong apprentice programme and came highly recommended. My friends from college were envious when I was selected by Bisley. 

What is the most important skill you learned in your apprenticeship? 
The ability to problem solve is as important today as it was when I joined. It is not unusual for my team to be faced with something that is broken and have to work out what the problem is and fix it very quickly. This is a skill that is equally important outside work too. I’ve learned that problem solving develops a ‘can do’ attitude that always serves you well.

How has working for Bisley helped you progress to where you are today?
My current position of Section Leader was new at the time, as there hadn’t been a role like this for the Tool Room before. I saw an opportunity to progress so I thought I’d give it a go. I managed to get the job because I had all the right skills and experience, thanks to my apprenticeship.

If you could give one piece of advice to our current apprentices, what would it be? 
Behind every one of our products is a team of top people who make it happen. Seize the opportunity to learn from them. Every step is an amazing experience and while there will be challenges along the way, never give up, be persistent and keep going.

What is your favourite Bisley product? 
It would definitely be our industrial storage. We were recently given our own industrial storage units to replace older toolboxes, so it’s a product the team and I use every day.  It’s obviously very well made but as importantly it does exactly what It’s designed for and does it very well.

What do you like to do outside of work?
One project I’ve been working on over the past few years is restoring a house, so I seem to spend all my time decorating. I also enjoy spending time with friends and family.

Where have you travelled to? 
I’ve been to loads of places in Europe and I went to Sicily last year. I would have to say my favourite country is Greece. If you’re looking for somewhere nice to go there, I’d recommend Paxos – it’s a lovely little island.

National Apprentice Week 2017