16 year old Matt Bamber is still coming down from cloud nine having been awarded an apprenticeship at top engineering firm BAE.
The year 11 student went up against hundreds of hopefuls and came out on top bagging one of just a handful of places at one of the borough’s most prosperous employers.
Matt earned his place by impressing senior staff with the results of his aptitude tests in engineering, mathematics and information retrieval. He also submitted an articulate and informative application form before facing an interview panel, a dexterity test and further aptitude test.
The interview took just over an hour and Matt said: “I was so nervous, it was the most pressured situation I have ever been in but I tried to just be myself and show how much I wanted the apprenticeship.”
The paid apprenticeship will start in September and for the first year apprentices will be based at a training facility in Preston. The training takes between three and four years with trainers identifying where the apprentices skills would be best used within the company’s different departments.
Ideally Matt would like to follow in the footsteps of his Dad and become a Senior Technical Designer. Matt said: “I have been interested in working for BAE for a long time as I have seen how much my dad enjoys his job. I went to an opening evening at BAE a few years ago and was so impressed by the systems that were being used I just knew it was the company for me. Thanks to the encouragement of my family and the staff in the school’s technology department I went ahead and applied for an apprenticeship.
“My favourite subjects are Physics, Maths and Resistant Materials. I always want to learn more and look at the way things work and why, I think this interest was obvious to BAE and helped me to gain the apprenticeship.”
Matt, who has already sat a handful of his GCSE exams, has just one more task ahead of his career at BAE which is achieving five A*-Cs. Matt said: “My exams have gone well so far and my predicted grades and coursework results are good. I’ve been revising loads so I can make sure I get the grades needed.”
Mrs Jo Beesley, who is head of Minerva College, said: “Everyone at Carr Hill is absolutely thrilled for Matt. To gain an apprenticeship at BAE is quite an achievement; the competition is tough and there are few places. Matt has a natural talent for engineering and related subjects, alongside his solid work ethic I’m sure he will become a great asset to BAE. We wish him the best of luck.”
Of starting the apprenticeship Matt said: “I’m most looking forward to starting work. It will be a big change for me but I can’t wait to learn in a new environment and earn my own money. My family are really proud of me and my dad keeps telling me what a great opportunity it is for me. It doesn’t seem real yet.”
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