Published on February 9, 2022
Why apprenticeships?
Matthew Royle, Applications Engineer at Heaford is a familiar face to many but what you might not know is that he joined #TeamHeaford 10 years ago in 2012 as an apprentice.
As we celebrate National Apprenticeship Week 2022, we thought we’d share his story with you.
From an early age it was clear that engineering was his passion. Matthew always had an interest in electronics, growing up he would often take things apart and tinker with them and in high school he naturally chose electronics as one of his subjects.
Drawn to an apprenticeship to give him both hands on experience whilst continuing his studies, we asked him about how he decided that an apprenticeship was the right route for him?
Matt answered: “I’ve always been a more hands on kind of person so when deciding on which path to take, the apprenticeship option seemed a logical one for me. Learning and being able to put my skills into practice at the same time really appealed to me.”
We then asked him why he chose Heaford?
Matthew said: “After high school, I started looking for an apprenticeship and came across Heaford who, at the time, were looking for an Apprentice Electrical Engineer. This was a field of interest for me, and I wanted to develop my skills alongside studying. Additionally, they were less than a mile away from my parent’s house and at the time I didn’t drive so this was ideal for me as I could walk or cycle to work!”
We were keen to find out what it was like doing his apprenticeship at Heaford and so we asked him, what did you learn as an apprentice?
Matt replied: “I thoroughly enjoyed my apprenticeship with Heaford, I’ve been able to work with a vast range of technologies and learn how problems have been approached and solved in the past & present, using this knowledge to create and develop solutions for new challenges.
From starting at an early age, I feel like I’ve grown in many ways with Heaford over the years. When I first started, I was shy, but the team are very friendly and helped make me feel comfortable. Feels like one big family.
My apprenticeship gave me a great start to my career, and I’ve since progressed from Apprentice Electrical Engineer to Applications Engineer travelling the world. As technology in pre-press equipment constantly advances and Heaford invest continually in new products and my skills I never stop learning.”
David Muncaster, Managing Director Heaford added: “Apprenticeships play a critical role in delivering the skills necessary not only to drive Heaford forward but the country as a whole. Matt’s story is a great example of how skills and experience are passed on and complimented by academic study. Matt is now involved in nurturing our current apprentices and the cycle will continue. Well done Matt!”
With such a great experience of his apprenticeship we asked Matthew to share with us what he would say to anyone considering an apprenticeship?
Here’s what he said: “If you’re a hands-on person and want to earn while you learn, an apprenticeship is a great opportunity to get recognised qualifications alongside practical hands-on skills in the ‘real world’.”
Thank you, Matt, for sharing your experience with us, it’s our pleasure to work with you and it’s great have you on our team!
If you are interested in an apprenticeship with Heaford, please do get in touch here