L-R: Sam Wileman, Mason Bell and Shane Rice
To mark National Apprenticeship Week which runs from February 5-11, Lucy Stephens speaks to three current and former apprentices at Hazelwood-based Lubrizol, a cutting-edge science company with sites across the world which places huge value on nurturing and developing talent through the apprenticeship scheme.
In a former country house off a quiet rural lane near Duffield, a company whose work has global reach has its European Research & Development Centre.
Here, around 300 people in a range of departments including science, engineering, business and business support services are at work.
But what is perhaps surprising in a company whose scientific output is used by a huge proportion of the world’s population on a daily basis – whether that is driving a tractor in India, or enjoying a refreshing shower with your favourite brand of soap – is a high number of staff here are either undertaking an apprenticeship or student placement, or are in full-time employment having begun their journey through one of these pathways.
“As a company, we really appreciate the value of apprenticeships,” says Lucy Cooper, HR business partner at Lubrizol. “We have several different departments here including engineering and data analysis as well as chemistry, and our hands-on approach to nurturing our talent lends itself very well to employing apprentices. It’s very gratifying that many of our apprentices progress at
Lubrizol to senior roles and end up staying with us a long time, helping train generation after generation.”
One of Lubrizol’s current apprentices has certainly appreciated the opportunities offered to him so far – and he is still only 23.
Sam Wileman is currently around a year away from completing his Level 3 apprenticeship in Mechatronics, and says he much prefers a more practical approach to learning.
“Put me under test conditions, and it’s not happening!” he says, cheerfully. “I ended up doing a level 3 in engineering at sixth form and managed to get a distinction because it was coursework based.”
Sam, who secured his apprenticeship at Lubrizol via Teams interviews during Covid lockdowns, has completed his one day a week at Learning Unlimited in Derby – part of the Chesterfield College group, and is now undertaking a level 3 NVQ.
At Lubrizol, he works in the mechanical testing department, helping make and mend a huge range of equipment used across the site – and he says the work could not be more varied or rewarding.
“I’ve probably made something for 95 per cent of the departments on site,” he says, adding that a re-use and recycle policy in the department only adds to the creativity of the role.
“If we can re-use something, we will re-use it,” he says.
“I’ve never been a classroom person, I’m a get your hands dirty person. I wanted to learn visually rather than tapping on a computer.”
Also a fan of apprenticeships and everything they offer is Shane Rice, who works closely with Sam at Lubrizol.
Having undertaken a mechanical technician apprenticeship with the company back in 2006, Shane is now in a supervisor role in the company’s mechanical engineering department, where formulations are tested in vehicle engines.
Shane was interviewed for his Lubrizol apprenticeship on his 18th birthday, having tried his hand at a few career options beforehand.
With four children at home, Shane feels an apprenticeship route is still as good an option for today’s younger generation as it has been for him.
“There is so much push on leaving school and going to study at university,” he says. “But learning on the job is fantastic, You can open up so many other options as well, and obviously you’re getting paid for it!
“My day-to-day role is supervising a team fabricating test rigs. We provide a maintenance service as well. I set all the work and expectations for the team so we deliver it in a timely manner.
“At home the kids say, ‘Daddy, will you fix it?’ Whatever goes wrong, that’s what I usually get!”
Also currently in a supervisory role having risen through the Lubrizol ranks via an apprenticeship is Mason Bell.
Having arrived at the company aged 17, he was himself mentored by Shane and 11 years later, he now works in Lubrizol’s blend testing department.
It was all a big turnaround for Mason, who never intended to be an engineer but was going to join the family’s joinery firm.
In fact, he admits the only reason he even considered engineering was because his dad wanted him to learn to weld so he could fix the company’s fire escape staircase!
But his first visit to Lubrizol was enough to change his mind.
“We went around the engine test area – I’d never seen anything like that before!” he remembers. “I was absolutely fascinated by all the hustle and bustle. They asked me to repair a dry link valve and I really enjoyed taking it apart and seeing it work. I did the interview and I couldn’t drive at the time so my dad picked me up and asked me how it went. I remember saying, ‘That’s the place I want to work.’”
One thing that unites Mason, Sam and Shane is a continual desire to keep learning. Shane’s studies are still continuing as he works to progress his career, while Mason says from the day he started at Lubrizol to the present, he has never actually left further education, as he is now studying for an HND in Mechanical Engineering, funded by the company.
All three also agree that the beautiful site where they work – populated by buzzards, kestrels, hares and a huge variety of other wildlife – is a huge bonus. Shane enjoys regular lunchtime runs around Lubrizol’s beautiful green grounds. But perhaps more valuable still is the best feature in any good workplace: its people.
“There are a lot of talented people here,” says Shane. “Everybody has got time out of their day for you. I work with some really clever people, and they are all always very supportive.”
As Sam puts it: “The highlight for me, working here, is probably the knowledge I have gained and also the respect for all of my colleagues and everybody on site, but also the respect that they give me.
“I don’t get seen as an apprentice. I get seen as a person who can do as good a job as any one of my colleagues.”
