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Year 11s learn about apprenticeships at Breedon

A small group of Year 11 students went to visit one of our local employers, Breedon, at the largest cement plant in the UK which is based near Hope. Our aim was to find out about the different job roles at Breedon, to experience the working environment at a quarry plant and to discover what it is like to be an apprentice.

Our hosts welcomed us and gave the group an insightful presentation into the history of the site and the types of materials that are produced at the plant. We learnt about the different career paths at Breedon and what managers look out for in job applications and interviews. Two of Breedon’s current apprentices, Charlie and Ben, told us all about the journey of an apprentice, their work experience and what the vocational training is like. Ben is a former Chapel High School student and is currently training as an electrical apprentice. He shared his experience of leaving school during Covid and going on to become an apprentice with Breedon after college.

After kitting us out with PPE, Charlie and Ben then took us on a brilliant and extensive tour of the plant. We visited the quarry site, viewed ‘the crusher’, went inside the maintenance workshop and stores, looked at the kilns and saw the brand new state-of-the-art Caterpillar vehicles. Our students got a real insight into the different job roles at the plant, the working environment and the range of skills they might need for this type of work.

After our tour, we joined the Breedon team at their on-site canteen where we were treated to a delicious Christmas dinner! Thank you to Louise and all of the staff who were involved in making this such an interesting and valuable experience for our students, and especially to apprentices Charlie and Ben who were great hosts.