Member Article

Lattimer trainee named Apprentice of the Year 2017

A young Southport engineer training at one of the UK’s leading precision engineering firms has secured a special award for outstanding performance.

Lukas Allsworth, of Tarleton, who began training at Lattimer in September 2015, has been named the Engineering Apprentice of the Year 2017, at Southport College’s Apprentice Star Awards during National Apprenticeship Week.

The ceremony held at Clouds Restaurant, Southport College, saw a number of students commended for exceptional effort and commitment to their course.

Lattimer UK Managing Director Mark Hailwood said Lukas thoroughly deserved the award for excelling in his apprenticeship within the firm’s specialist training academy which initially opened in 2010 and currently has nine apprentices within its ranks.

He said Lukas is a terrific example of the top rate talent within the region, as the firm now gears up for applications for its 2017 intake.

The academy is set to take on up to four new apprentices this year. The Southport-headquartered firm designs and manufactures more than 20,000 different component parts predominantly for the glass container manufacturing industry. It has ramped up turnover to £10.6million, following 30pc growth in the last 12 months.

“We are thrilled that Lukas has secured this award, as he has proved to be a first-class apprentice applying his intelligence and ability throughout,” said Mr Hailwood. “He has committed himself to the craft of precision engineering and embraced the ethos of our business. By combining practical work from the Lattimer Training Academy with theoretical studies at Southport College he has been able to charge up his engineering knowledge. If he continues to develop in the remainder of his apprenticeship he will become a well-rounded and highly skilled Engineer, with a strong foundation of skill and understanding. The high skill academy was set up to uncover the next generation of precision machinists, just like Lukas, from across the North West. Now more than 40pc of our current workforce have come through some form of internal apprenticeship course.”

Apprentice Lukas Allsworth said the balance between high-intensity practical work at Lattimer Training Academy and the more academic work at Southport College proved highly stimulating.

“It has been a brilliant decision to go down the apprenticeship route,” he said. “I feel the time I have dedicated will really pay off. I am mastering a broad variety of machining processes from milling and turning, to mill-turning and grinding, these machining skills will enable me to come out of my apprenticeship and be ready to go straight into a production role.

“The apprenticeship is well structured providing a good balance of practical and theory work between Lattimer and Southport College. It is providing a real insight into the engineering sector which is a varied and interesting field. I feel very grateful to have been able to carry out my training at one of the UK’s leading precision engineering firms where I have learnt from highly experienced craftsmen. Lattimer is such an interesting business making complex component parts which are exported all over the world.”

Lattimer was recently named a ‘National Champion’ in the European Business Awards for its impressive international track-record, which sees a total of 96pc of total sales attributed to overseas markets. Meanwhile, its training and apprenticeship work has also been commended by the EEF with a Future Manufacturing award for ‘Developing People’.

Lattimer CEO Stephen Waterhouse said as a global leader in precision engineering Lattimer requires highly-skilled staff with passion and enthusiasm for the business.

“We deliver focused and intense in-house training, where longstanding machinists have converted to full-time training and mentor roles. This ensures our trainee recruits receive guidance from the firm’s most experienced members. The merit in this is that Lattimer knows its apprentices will be able to operate all complex CNC equipment on completion of their training. Precious manufacturing knowledge is also passed down through generations. The academy is an essential ingredient ensuring Lattimer maintains its international reputation for delivering high-quality, cost-effective and reliable products.

“We are extremely passionate about skill development,” said Mr Waterhouse. “Aside from our in-house Academy, Lattimer also supports the Engineering Development Trust’s ‘Year in Industry’ programme taking university students on one-year placements and identifying relevant in-house projects where they can gain valuable skills and experience. In addition, Lattimer also sponsors a Merseyside and North Wales schools’ manufacturing competition, organised and run by the local Rotary Club, designed to stimulate interest in careers within the sector. The project sees teams from around seven schools spending a day in Southport where they undertake a competition to build an item from limited materials and instructions.”

Southport College principal John Clarke said: “Currently there are nearly 600 Apprentices supported by Southport College across 15 different sectors. Employers such as Lattimer recognise the importance of having and a well-trained and qualified workforce. Southport College’s Apprenticeship Star Awards Evening has been the perfect opportunity to recognise the achievement and dedication not only of the Apprentices themselves but also their employers, assessors and tutors who have supported their learning.”

Nicola Hurst; Director of Teaching & Learning and External Relations said: “Lukas is a very polite and well-mannered student that showed a keen interest in engineering right from the start of the course. He had excellent attendance and punctuality throughout the whole year. He put a great deal of effort into both his practical and theoretical work throughout the year and as a result developed crucial skills that he has been able to apply in work. He has also been involved in recent Apprenticeship open evenings, giving up his personal time to speak to young people about his experience both at the college and working in an engineering environment.”

For more information on Lattimer’s Training Academy contact Mark Hailwood on +44 (0)1704 535040, email mark.hailwood@lattimer.com or visit the website www.lattimer.com

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sam Pinnington .