New apprentice

HWL Trade Frames has recruited Elliot Collinson as its latest apprentice.

The 17-year-old, who is studying a Level 3 Maintenance and Operations Technicians Apprenticeship, previously completed an engineering course at Leeds City College, before joining the specialist trade manufacturer.

“It was always my aim to study for an apprenticeship when I left school, but unfortunately for me that happened to coincide with Covid and the national lockdown,” Elliot said.

“I didn’t want to waste a year, so I decided to learn as much as I could by enrolling at college and I’ve been able to transfer the knowledge and skills that I gained during that time into my apprenticeship with HWL.”

Phil Gray, HWL’s operations director, said: “Elliot is an exceptionally personable young man. During the interview stage, we were particularly impressed with his knowledge of CAD and of procedures such as Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM).

“He was also able to demonstrate a very strong understanding of health and safety applications including COSHH [Control of Substances Hazardous to Health] and RIDDOR [Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations].

“And while this helped to assure us that he would have the confidence and maturity to work safely and effectively on a busy factory floor, it was his energy and desire to follow his chosen career path that really helped him to secure his apprenticeship position with us.”

HWL Trade Frames is expanding its apprenticeship programme and is currently looking for an apprentice infrastructure technician and a digital marketing apprentice to join its team.