Kyle Lawrie is currently in the third year of his apprenticeship with Jas P Wilson. This is part of our feature on the dealer's recruitment drive. 

You can read Part I here. 

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO PURSUE AN APPRENTICESHIP WITH JAS P WILSON?

I grew up in Dalry (in Dumfries and Galloway) and went to Dalry High School, which brought us to visit Jas P Wilson on a school trip. I’d never heard of the company before, but on that trip we got to around the site and learned about the manufacturing. Later, when it came time for us to do a week of work experience, I picked Jas P, because of what I’d seen on that trip.

I quite liked engineering, but I didn’t know what aspect I wanted to focus on. Each day of work experience we were somewhere different in the business – one day design, the next welding, then servicing, etc – so got a broad taste of the disciplines here. From that I decided I preferred working on the computer side of things, so that’s what I focused on through the rest of high school.

When it was time to leave, I had looked at doing an apprenticeship with the Navy, but then an opportunity came here to do a graduate apprenticeship in design, which was pretty much exactly what I wanted to do. So I applied and was lucky enough to get accepted.

HOW DOES THE APPRENTICESHIP WORK?

It’s a four-year course working towards an honours degree, same as you would get if you went to university full time, but split 50-50 between working here and studying at Strathclyde University.

I go to the Strathclyde campus for lectures and things. The rest of the time I’m working here, doing a normal job. Mainly I do design work, updating older designs of trailers and cranes. I’ve worked on new products like a logging gripper for the front of a tractor, and currently, as part of the uni course, we’re designing a new large heavy-duty grab. 

I done work with different software, I’ve been part of improvement projects and I’ll order most of the steel for the manufacturing side. So a range of different duties.

WHO HAVE YOU REALLY LEARNED FROM AT JAS P WILSON?

I kind of rely on everyone, because I came here as kind of a blank slate. I didn’t know much before starting. Whenever I’ve got a problem I go to someone who’s an expert in that. Mainly it’ll be my manager Martin or someone in the office. 

Kyle believes it is good to learn on the job Kyle believes it is good to learn on the job (Image: FJ/JH)

But if I need any sort of input from someone in the factory, I can go out there and speak to them. Drew has obviously helped me a lot over the course of the years. I get to speak to everyone here and learn from them.

YOU’RE ALSO A MENTOR TO OTHER YOUNG PEOPLE WHO COME IN FOR WORK EXPERIENCE. HOW HAVE YOU ENJOYED THAT ROLE?

It’s good to learn on the job and then be able to share what you’ve learned. I think, because I’m also quite young, they can relate more to me and I think they get more out of it as well. 

It’s a really good way of working it. Plus I’ve been able to get involved in some careers events, doing presentations at schools and colleges to help generate an interest in engineering and manufacturing.

HOW VALUABLE DO YOU THINK WORK EXPERIENCE IS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE?

I think everyone should do it. Everyone in my year was made to do it and we all picked something we thought we’d like to do. And by getting to go and do it for a full week we got to find out if we truly did enjoy it or not. It was right at the age where you start picking your subjects for school, and without doing that work experience, I wouldn’t have known I liked engineering. I wouldn’t have known I like working with computers more than with my hands. I could have ended up taking subjects that didn’t matter or weren’t any use to me. That’s why work experience is crucial.