Earlier this month 39 of our first year Food & Drink Maintenance Engineering apprentices took to the great outdoors to enjoy five days of adventurous activities, facilitated by Rock UK Adventure Centres Ltd and supported by MGTS staff.
The aim of the experience is to empower apprentices to meet the behavioral requirements of their apprenticeship and increase understanding of how this can be positively transferred and implemented in the workplace.
Andrew Baines, FE Tutor, tells us: “Firstly, catching up with the apprentices after last teaching them in February was great. Learning and finding out what they had been up to since being back in the workplace and utilising the skills they had learned at MGTS was really rewarding. My group and the others I could see were definitely enjoying themselves and there was no lack of laughter and humour!
“With a real emphasis through the week on problem solving and teambuilding, which in my opinion are two of the most important skills as Maintenance Technicians, the apprentices rose to the challenges that confronted them with a degree of maturity that I hadn’t seen previously. What I witnessed was some stand out talent from natural leaders of the future, with a real positive energy, enthusiasm, and ability to get their groups working as a team. This is a week that you certainly get out of it what you put in and for me watching apprentices learn new skills, show hidden talent, get over fears and continue to better themselves as individuals and future engineers was both rewarding and inspiring.”
Stuart Ellinor, MGTS Redditch Centre Lead, comments: “I really enjoyed the activities that I was involved in and interacting outside of a work environment with the apprentices and colleagues. The mood was positive, and I feel the apprentices thoroughly enjoyed their experiences. The Rock UK staff impressed the importance of teambuilding, problem solving and taking ownership. It’s a great initiative for the apprentices…long may it continue.”
Adam Murray, Curriculum Manager said: “I thought it was a fantastic opportunity for the apprentices. For some, it was the first time they had truly stepped outside their comfort zones.
“On a personal level, I really appreciated the chance to get to know some of the apprentices better, as my day-to-day role doesn’t usually allow for that. What stood out to me the most was the enthusiasm and effort everyone put into the activities—the apprentices fully embraced their time with Rock UK. The staff were excellent, consistently reinforcing teamwork and communication in every activity. They also made a great effort to draw natural links to the engineering industry, helping the apprentices understand the relevance of the tasks they were undertaking.”
Thank you to all involved for a great week!