Meet the Apprentice: Danny Morris
It’s Scottish Apprenticeship Week! Today we are profiling a 4th year apprentice, Danny Morris, who is working through his electrical apprenticeship with Allenwest Ampcontrol UK.
Danny first came to Ayrshire College to do a Performing Engineering Operations (PEO) course at the Kilmarnock Campus. It was after the successful completion of this course that he first became aware of an apprenticeship opportunity with Allenwest Ampcontrol UK, a leading supplier of innovative electrical and electronic solutions for mining and tunnelling projects.
Danny said: “The college helped set me up with interviews for places once I finished the PEO. It’s a good company, all the guys who work there are fantastic. I’m really enjoying the job, I’m constantly picking up new skills and getting confident in what I’m doing and picking up extra responsibilities.
“I take a lot of pride in what I do and enjoy the technical aspect. There’s something nice about taking something from start to finish. To have an empty box at the start and then at the end you’ve got an enclosure that’s worth tons of money, it’s satisfying.
“I go between two factories, so I get to see different sides of the business. At Prestwick I’ll make flameproof enclosures for mining equipment, making up components, fitting out the enclosures and wiring them. Then at Ayr, I’ll make high voltage cables and putting plugs on them, which is intricate work. I’m also involved in testing them.
“At the same time, I’m doing my HNC in Electrical Engineering at Ayrshire College. It’s all online at the moment, of course, and it’s been good. There are things I miss about the day-to-day college environment but I’ve adapted well to it.”
Danny believes the apprenticeship route was the best way for him to get into this industry. His starting point at the College – the PEO course – is a very popular pre-apprenticeship course that gives you a perfect indication of whether you’d enjoy this line of work.
Danny said: “The PEO was enjoyable. I didn’t find it too challenging and there was a good group of like-minded people on the course. I was interested in what we were learning, and I’ve actually recommended the course to quite a few other people.
“An apprenticeship is a great route. There’s a lot of people who end up going to university and then can’t find jobs. You’re always going to need a tradesman, you don’t always need a graduate. This gets you in at entry level and you can work your way up.
“I would eventually like to get a degree in electrical engineering but at the moment I’m just focusing on consolidating my skills and becoming a tradesman.
“Can I also add: David Hogg is a fantastic lecturer. But some of the people I work with now were taught by him 30 years ago and we quickly realised he still has the same jokes – so he needs to get some new material!”
Kenneth Brown, Operations Manager at Allenwest Ampcontrol UK, said: "Danny has been a real asset to Allenwest Ampcontrol. He has been an integral part of our expansion into our new site and is now at the stage whereby he is competent at assembling and testing high voltage armoured cables used within mining and tunnelling industries globally. He has demonstrated attention to detail and flexibility to apply himself across a range of Allenwest Ampcontrol product builds.
"Allenwest Ampcontrol have been working closely with local colleges and now have a total of 4 apprentices working here."
#ScotAppWeek21