As one of the UK’s leading suppliers of steel bridges, gantries, and complex structures, NuSteel takes pride in not only the quality of its products but also in the development of the next generation of industry professionals.
Through its partnership with EKC Training, NuSteel has had the privilege of welcoming talented apprentices into its team, each embarking on a journey to become skilled welders through its Welder Fabricator Apprenticeships. Today, NuSteel is excited to share the stories of some of its apprentices who are making waves in the industry.
Luca Tarry-Rootes – Third-year Welder Fabricator Apprentice
Luca is in his third-year as an apprentice with NuSteel, and discovered the opportunities available to him through an Apprenticeship Fair held at the Leas Cliff Hall. He met Jason, the company’s Managing Director, who gave him their leaflet with information and invited him to come round and explore. After a successful interview and trial, he is now working on projects all by himself. When Luca came in, he struggled with his confidence, but he has grown through the apprenticeship and is thriving.
Luca said of his experience: “The experience here has been great as I’ve learnt a lot of new things. Everyone supports you here and you’re never on your own if you’re struggling with a task.
This opportunity has given me a better career path as I didn’t really know what I wanted to do after school.
Now, I’ve been able to go on big jobs and watch them get sent out which is always nice to see. For example, I worked on a footbridge that was sent out to Chiverton Cross in Cornwall, and there was lots of welding on this project which made me proud at the end.”
Archie Todd Berry – First-year Welder Fabricator Apprentice
Archie is one of the latest additions to the team, having started back in July. He is now coming up towards the end of his first year and has improved significantly during his time with NuSteel. He was introduced to apprenticeships in Year 11, when they visited his school for their Careers Fair and showed him examples of what they do.
We asked Archie how he feels about the apprenticeship so far.
“The time since I’ve started has gone really quick. I’m now getting used to the work that I do and its so different to every other trade. Everyone looking at a trade-based apprenticeship normally goes for an electrician or a plumber route and I just wanted to try something different.
I’d love to work in this as my full career especially with the team, but I also can’t wait to start working on my own projects. Some of the work I have done are for local projects and it’s great to see it and get the feeling that I built that.
Apprenticeships are good as there’s just a lot of benefits and I’m now getting into having a solid routine during the week. Some people go to College and only do a part time job which I feel isn’t as good as working here which I love.”
Connor Robinson, Third-year Welder Fabricator Apprentice
Connor started at NuSteel in a Grinder position at the company. He expressed an interest in wanting to progress internally, so NuSteel set up the apprenticeship for him. As soon as Kevin Kelleher (Managing Director at NuSteel) offered Connor the apprenticeship he jumped at the chance and hasn’t looked back.
Connor is looking forward to his future, saying: “I currently have 16-18 months left at college and after that I hope to continue developing my skills at NuSteel. My experience as an apprentice has been eye-opening, especially as I joined here when I was 19. The apprenticeship has changed my views on the whole company as once you build the structures, you understand what you’re doing and how to do it correctly.
You also gain an awareness of how important it is to ensure that structures are safe. Working here has made me feel more grownup in a lot of ways. You get to take more responsibility and more care as you expand your knowledge. I’ve also been learning key skills such as Maths alongside for measurements. I’m really looking forward to becoming a fully qualified welder, fabricator and plater.”
Harry Dean, Third-year Welder Fabricator Apprentice
Harry is also a third-year apprentice with NuSteel, starting around the same time as Connor and Luca. He is currently focused on the fabrication part of his apprenticeship. He applied for this apprenticeship as the company reached out directly to his school and offered up this opportunity for any students who wanted to take part. Harry got in touch and had a great interview and a very successful trial.
Harry looks back fondly on his experience, saying: “I started three years ago and wanted to learn a trade a bit, as when I got older, I knew that I wanted to get involved in more practical roles. Since I started, I have many more responsibilities such as working in a team. For me I’ve always wanted to work in a more physical job and get hands on, so it benefitted me significantly.
I’m looking forward to being fully qualified and getting my own job. My favourite thing I’m working on now is the Gantry we’re currently building for the M25. There is a lot of welding to do but it is mostly straightforward.
Helping to train the apprentices is Team Leader Anthony Wyatt, who helps them on the job with welding, project work and College work. He has seen real growth in the four throughout their apprenticeships and thinks that this qualification is the way forward.
“It’s great to get them in to train in this industry as there aren’t many places like this. Here they can shadow others to do the work and as they progress, they can start to go out on their own. As most of our apprentices are straight from school, it can be quite different for them to come into this environment. Although it is far from what school is like, it’s been worth it for all of them and is such a help to the business.”
Luke Chappell, Production Planner at NuSteel has also been instrumental in helping the apprentices develop and feel engaged in their roles. He works closely with the teams to make sure that projects go on budget and on time, which is vital as they do a lot of infrastructure for the UK.
He said about the benefits of apprentices: “It’s great as we are such a large-scale business with the products that we make, so it’s nice to have guys in and we can teach them our way. We can bring them up through the ranks whilst they get used to the sheer size of structures that we’re doing. It can be difficult for seasoned welders when they come here as most of them have never done structures this bag.
Having apprentices through EKC Training has been great for the business. There are people that may be great with their hands but aren’t so good academically so it’s beneficial to give them that chance. It can also help keep the company fresh with our guys teaching them new things.
Our apprentices will probably be here for a while and will help to ensure the business keeps growing. If you want to keep your business going, the easy way is to bring in that fresh talent and teach them the skills that you need.”
Partnering with EKC Training is a great way for you to develop your staff and new employees through Apprenticeships.
Thank you to NuSteel for allowing us to share their apprentice success stories. We hope to inspire the next generation to follow in their footsteps and invest in their careers.
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