Oldham teenager building bright future at Hill's Panel Products

Josh Burke, aged 19, has just embarked on his maintenance engineering apprenticeship at Hill's Panel Products (HPP), after joining the company last November.

He first came onboard while completing his City and Guilds Level 2 and 3 in electrical engineering, which he undertook of his own accord after leaving school and looking for an apprenticeship.

While he was still searching and studying, he heard of the opportunity at HPP, got an interview and was taken on part-time to accommodate his course, eventually increasing his hours as his studies came to an end.

Josh, who attended Royton and Crompton Academy, said: “I did well at school, I got all nine of my GCSEs.

"I really liked physics and tried to get an electrical apprenticeship, but no one was offering any.

"I’d been doing the electrical city and guilds for quite a while when I heard about this apprenticeship.

“Since coming to HPP I’ve been working in the maintenance department, working all over the site.

"I’ve been doing repairs, installations, and preventative and general maintenance.

"You never do the same thing on any given day. I am enjoying it.”

Josh is completing his apprenticeship through the Oldham Training Centre on Lees Road, where he will be studying on day release for the next three-and-a-half years.

HPP’s marketing and business development director, Dan Mounsey, said: “When Josh first came to us, he was still doing his electrical course.

"We were so impressed with him we wanted to employ him straight away, so we came up with a part-time schedule allowing him to work here around his college commitments.

“It has worked out really well for everybody.

"Josh has been able to finish his course to get those qualifications.

"But he knows this is a good place for him and we know he is the right person for the apprenticeship, and he has got to know the business at the same time.”

Josh is the second HPP employee currently doing an apprenticeship along with Ellie McCartney, who is taking a Level 3 NVQ in business administration, attending Oldham College once a month.

And providing inspiration for Josh is maintenance engineer Alex Knight, from Royton, who completed a Level 3 City and Guilds mechanical engineering apprenticeship while working in the site maintenance department. He is now waiting to start a HND Level 4 qualification.

Alex said: “Off my own back I did my level two in mechanical engineering at Hopwood Hall in Middleton.

"After that I was looking for a job, but it was really tough until I found the Hill’s Panels job on a government apprenticeship website. This was my first ever job.

“I’ve been here just over four years now.

"I like my job – there’s never a similar day, it is always different, and it keeps me busy.

"This is a good place to work. There’s nice people and it’s a good environment and a good atmosphere.”

Alex is one of several HPP employees who have completed apprenticeships in recent years, the most recent being Ethan Forster, from Waterhead, who works in board production.

Dan Mounsey explained how apprenticeships benefit HPP.

He added: “They enable us to train young people in a way that works best for the business.

“As a company we are quite unique in what we do, with all the different processes we are almost several businesses in one and to have the opportunity to take young people on and give them experience in various different facets of the business means that as part of their learning they are also learning about us and our sector.

“When they qualify, they’ve got a good context, not just for the skill they’re doing but the whole KBB (kitchen, bedroom, bathroom) sector.

"Having an understanding of the way customers work, the way the industry is set up, or the way machinery works is really important.

“But it’s also important to give young people a chance.

"We are a big employer in the Oldham area, so we see it as our responsibility to give something back to our local community, so we are keen to pursue apprenticeships from that point of view as well."