FREDDIE MCDONNELL - ACHIEVING A PROMOTION THANKS TO APPRENTICESHIP LEARNING

Freddie McDonnell, age 19, was initially an apprentice machinist at OSL Group, a manufacturing business based in Sheffield. Freddie worked his way up to his recent promotion to section team leader whilst studying and engineering technician apprenticeship.

Freddie was taken on by OSL Group as a new apprentice at age 16. He joined the company straight from school because he wanted a career in engineering. Following three years of success and hard work in the business, Freddie was promoted to team leader. Freddie showed real team leadership skills and had a strong understanding of the engineering process.

Tom Wagstaff, Divisional Director of Operations at OSL Group, said: “Employing apprentices enables our business to mould highly skilled engineers tailored to our requirements. Youth brings a new perspective and energy to the team, and this gives us a long-term solution to an aging workforce by ensuring we have succession planning in place.”

Freddie said: “I’m enjoying being in a new role. I’ve got more responsibility for work management and I have an accountability to the business which I’ve never really had before. I’ve never done anything like it but I’m really enjoying it so far.

“I would recommend an apprenticeship to anyone interested in pursuing a career in engineering, particularly in the manufacturing industry. Learning on the job is 100% hands on which has been great for me and I like the social aspect of being part of a team. I can see first-hand how things work and I can see the impact that my actions have on the wider business which is really interesting.

“Working from bottom up in a company has taken the pressure off finding a job and I’ve had the benefit spending three years supported by the group.”

Anne Wilson, a Sheffield City Region Growth Hub Skills Advisor, supported OSL on their growth journey. Anne said:

“As a skills advisor I advised OSL to help them set up their apprenticeship programme and got Sheffield College involved to deliver the programme.  This was OSL’s first experience of employing apprentices, so I helped to guide them through the process. OSL now employ more apprentices across their business.”

Find out more about OSL Group at http://www.oslgroup.com/