Published at 15:41, Wednesday, 24 February 2010

ONLY one year after completing his advanced apprenticeship in flexographic print at Salterbeck’s Alcan Packaging Cumbria, Jonathan Straughton is now an ‘ambassador’ for the company.

Jonathan Straughton: Alcan Packaging Cumbria's apprentice ambassador

At only 21 years, Jonathan uses his role as ambassador to explain what life is like as an apprentice to young people.

“As part of careers evenings, I am invited to give advice to students looking to consider an apprenticeship or thinking about career moves, based on the experiences I have gained during my own apprenticeship,” he said. “This has involved visiting local schools and colleges to provide information about Alcan Packaging and how apprenticeships operate.”

When he had completed his GCSEs, Jonathan was in a similar position to most 16-year-olds. “I was looking for a career that suited my personality, which would further my skills and give me nationally recognised qualifications that could help push my career forward.

“I was advised by a careers advisor to take an aptitude test, which resulted in the offer of an interview with Alcan Packaging, although I had no idea what they did. Following the meeting, I had a tour round the factory and from that point onwards I knew this was the opportunity I had been waiting for.”

Jonathan started at Alcan Packaging Cumbria, which specialises in producing printed packaging for the food industry, as a flexographic print apprentice.

For the first two years his time was split between the short-run and long-run flexo departments.

He then remained with the latter to complete his training and has stayed in the same department.

He has now been with the company for four years, three as an apprentice and one as a qualified flexographic printer.

He said: “The advanced apprenticeship I undertook consists of completing NVQ level two and level three in flexographic print together with a technical certificate.

“I now want to work my way through other courses that will help progress my career as and when they are available.

“However, with the training I have, I am able to operate either of the eight-colour flexographic printing presses here at Alcan Packaging.

“The experience I gained during the three years of my course has given me a more rounded understanding of the whole print production process, which allows me to identify and rectify problems that arise during printing quickly and efficiently, resulting in higher print quality and productivity.

“This knowledge has enabled me to design an auxiliary piece of equipment that has helped to reduce downtime.

“Based on my experience, an NVQ level three is a high qualification to achieve and can lead to excellent career opportunities.

“I would highly recommend an apprenticeship to any student who wants a life-long career in a particular field or requires qualifications to open doors to new jobs in different industries, as these qualifications are both transferable and nationally recognised.

“I have been very lucky at Alcan Packaging and couldn’t have asked for more support.”

Jonathan said the firm has helped him with any problems he encountered as well as with his course work and his job in the factory, making his apprenticeship a really enjoyable experience.

“I believe I have received the best training available,” he said. “My aims now are to advance within the company and the apprenticeship has given me the knowledge I need to do this.

“It has certainly started me in the right direction to a better future.”

The importance of apprenticeships and the value of apprentices are now widely recognised throughout all industry sectors and Government funding is available to make the choice easier for both employer and employee.

Apprenticeship programmes are credited with lowering the cost of hiring and training staff, while companies operating these courses report filling vacancies more easily and that applicants are generally of a ‘better calibre’.

Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk