Thomas, 22 - Manufacturing Engineering Apprentice at Cummins.

I completed my A-levels but I didn’t really fancy going to university and getting in to debt.

My goal was to earn and learn a hands-on skill, so I went for an apprenticeship with Access Engineering Supplies.

I like taking on responsibility, so I am given projects that matter to the business and I’m learning new skills all the time such as design, project management and quality control. As a result, all of my work counts towards the end product and makes a difference within the business.

Now that I’m in the 4th year of my apprenticeship, I am tasked with working on a new line within the company, so there’s been a few issues to deal with that we’ve needed to find solutions for. It’s been hard work and challenging but in the end it’s rewarding to see it work from start to finish.

I’ve done most of my studying at Rugby and Warwick Trident Colleges. The staff have been really helpful, if I’ve got any issues and they’ll put on extra tutorials or classes to help apprentices reach our end goal and progress in the future.

I plan to stay with Cummins and go onto a degree apprenticeship to get my degree and then get a role here at Cummins as an engineer which is a step up from my current technician role.