SIEMENS LEEDS APPRENTICE CONTINUES A FINE HERITAGE
Apprentice Richard Birkbeck has just graduated as a mechanical engineer at one of the region’s leading engineering companies, Siemens Mechanical Drives in Leeds.
The 23-year-old from Keighley recently completed a four-year Siemens apprenticeship with an HNC in Mechanical Engineering at Bradford College, one of the local colleges Siemens Mechanical Drives sends its apprentice engineers to.
Richard was awarded distinctions in a number of units, including CAD (computer aided design), CNC (computer numerical control of machine tools) and CAM (computer aided manufacturing), as well as his engineering project. He has now started studying for an HND in Mechanical Engineering, also at Bradford College, which he should complete by June 2014.
Richard would like to go into the projects and design aspects of mechanical engineering and said his apprenticeship had been a great experience: “Although Siemens is a very large organisation, we work in small groups on the factory floor, and the skills benefits have been amazing. There are several graduate apprentices here, going back quite a few years, and I’ve leaned a lot from them. It’s a great company to work for.”
Siemens Mechanical Drives is part of Siemens Industry, and a significant UK manufacturing division of Siemens, operating in energy and renewables, transport, heavy industry and control systems. Its state-of-the-art Leeds factory was officially opened late last year by Leeds MP Hilary Benn.
The Leeds site employs three engineering apprentices and three young graduate apprentices, along with the newest apprentice, Matthew Jackson, who joined the team in September as part of a 160-strong national apprentice recruitment drive by Siemens in the UK. Siemens Mechanical Drives has always been committed to apprenticeships; five of its longstanding team also came through the apprenticeship route, including production and quality manager Richard Durham, production fitter Chris Myers, order processor Dave Pratt, team leader (engineered solutions and service) Dave Colleran and sales manager Alex Broadley.
For more information on Siemens visit www.siemens.co.uk/drives or call 0113 385 2500.
ENDS
PHOTO-CAPTION: Richard Birkbeck at work in the Siemens Leeds factory
For more information and photos please contact Bridget Summers on 0113 251 5697, email bridget@fim.org.uk or Paul Addison on 07808 823011, email pauladdison@siemens.com
Notes to editors:
About Siemens Industry
Siemens Industry UK is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of innovative and environmentally friendly products and solutions for industrial customers. With end-to-end automation technology and industrial software, solid vertical-market expertise, and technology-based services, the Sector enhances its customers’ productivity, efficiency and flexibility. Part of Siemens UK’s workforce of nearly 13,000 employees, the Industry Sector comprises the Divisions Industry Automation, Drive Technologies, Metal Technologies and Industry Services. For more information visit www.siemens.co.uk/industry
About Siemens in the UK
Siemens was established in the United Kingdom 168 years ago and now employs around 16,000 people in the UK. Last year’s revenues were £4.1 billion.* As a leading global engineering and technology services company, Siemens provides innovative solutions to help tackle the world’s major challenges, across the key sectors of infrastructure and cities, energy, industry and healthcare. Siemens has offices and factories throughout the UK, with its headquarters in Frimley, Surrey. The company’s global headquarters is in Munich, Germany. For more information, visit www.siemens.co.uk
* Data includes intercompany revenue. Data may not be comparable with revenue reported in annual or interim reports.
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