John Stelmasiak, an engineering apprentice with Bobst Group (UK & Ireland) Limited has just left Britain for a ten week training course in Shanghai, China.
Nineteen year old John has been employed by Bobst for three years and is almost at the end of his apprenticeship period, after which he will join the twenty strong team of Bobst field service engineers who cover the UK and Ireland.
Before he left for China, John said, “I’m really looking forward to the course and to experiencing a totally different culture. I’ve got quite a fascination with the Far East so it will be interesting to spend some time there. As well as the training, I’m hoping to get time to visit Beijing and to maybe see the Terracotta Warriors in Xian as well.”
John’s course will be held at the Bobst production facility in Shanghai where, with other engineers from Bobst Service Centers around the world, he will learn in detail about the electrical and mechanical operation of Bobst Novacut die-cutters.
As John is nearing the end of his apprenticeship, Bobst Group plans to recruit a new apprentice. John’s boss, National Service Manager Alan Letford, is currently on the lookout for a 16-19 year old to join the Bobst Group apprenticeship programme in the autumn. Alan says, “We always aim to have at least one apprentice in training at any time. John has done really well and now we need to find someone with the same energy to join us.
Despite not having ‘Lord’ in front of his name like his famous namesake Lord Alan Sugar, Alan says he is looking forward to saying ‘You’re Hired’. “The person we recruit will go through a one year engineering course at college and then three years of on-the-job training with day-release. We can’t promise they’ll end up in China, but it’s a great opportunity for someone.”
Redditch, Worcs. – 4 July 2011
