Scottish Apprenticeship Week at Had-Fab
As part of Scottish Apprenticeship Week, Had-Fab Ltd welcomed Iain Gray, MSP, to showcase our commitment to developing young talent in the local area.
Had-Fab has a proud history of success in our apprenticeship scheme with over 10% of our direct workforce being apprentices.
The apprentices had the chance to discuss with Mr Gray the benefits of the scheme and were joined also by senior staff, many of whom are ex-apprentices themselves as a testament to the success of the scheme in developing talent from within.
We also took the opportunity with a few of our apprentices to ask them a few questions about their role why they decided to get an apprenticeship with Had-Fab and what they enjoy the most!
Here’s what our apprentice welder and fabricators (Jamie, Lewis, Aaron, Dean, Andrew, Nathan and Alister) told us when asked about their position in Had-Fab.
What interested you in becoming an apprentice at Had-Fab?
“The most appealing thing about becoming an apprentice at Had-Fab was the opportunity of being able to develop a range of new skills and earn a qualification all whilst being paid to learn. The prospect of learning both at work and college, whilst being paid for it was great.”
— Jamie, 19 – Technical Apprentice
What do you enjoy the most about being an apprentice at Had-Fab?
“The most enjoyable thing about my apprenticeship is being given the opportunity of learning new skills and techniques every-day. Every day I am developing my confidence along with a good mindset that will help me achieve my goals in the future”
— Aaron, 21 – Apprentice Fabricator & Welder
“Being given independence and trust from my supervisors to complete certain tasks and responsibilities, and being allowed to learn and grow my skills.
— Nathan, 24 – Apprentice Fabricator & Welder
What are your career goals after your apprenticeship finishes?
“My goals are to be as successful a tradesman that I can possibly be. Once my apprenticeship is complete and I have achieved my qualification I am hoping to climb the management ladder at Had-Fab and then possibly use the skills and experience that I have developed at Had-Fab to start a business of my own in the future.”
— Dean, 19 – Apprentice Fabricator & Welder
What is the number one thing you’ve learned at Had-Fab?
“There is always room to develop my skills and improve the way I work to do things better and faster. Being new to the design and fabrication industry, I’ve learned that it’s okay to ask for guidance from the team at Had-Fab if you’re ever stuck and need a bit of help.”
— Andrew, 22 – Apprentice Fabricator & Welder
“I’ve developed my skills and knowledge of the design and fabrication industry and learned how to fabricate a range of materials and products, as well as being able to read and understand complex product designs”
— Lewis, 18 – Apprentice Fabricator & Welder
What advice would you give to young people thinking about starting an apprenticeship?
“Make sure you are interested in the work and industry you’ve applied for and 100% go for it. You get on and off the job training all whilst getting a good competitive wage with plenty of opportunities. You gain skills which you couldn’t learn from just reading books and it gives you trade and qualifications that could take you anywhere in the world.
— Dean, 19 – Apprentice Fabricator & Welder
Once you find an apprenticeship you’re interested in, don’t waste any time.Try to start as soon as possible because it’s the best way to learn and earn a qualification all while earning a wage.
— Alister, 18 – Apprentice Fabricator & Welder
We’d like to give a massive thank you to all our apprentices for answering these questions for Scottish Apprenticeship Week, and for being a fantastic addition to the team at Had-Fab!
