Josh Sloan, apprentice at Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) East Kilbride, has been named The Manufacturer’s employee of the month November 2015.
What is your role and what are your main responsibilities?
As an apprentice, I started off by shadowing the electrical engineers to get a better understanding of what they do.
The first month or so is mostly about getting to grips with the business, getting hands-on learning and experiencing all the different kinds of machines and variety of roles on offer.
What are the key technical skills you use?
I feel as though getting first-hand experience as an apprentice is a really useful way to develop your skills in a different way than in the classroom.
So far I’ve been able to develop my knowledge of electrical engineering and soon I will move on to operational and mechanical areas, so I will have the opportunity to learn about a wide variety of different roles in the factory.
What personal characteristics help you in your role?
Being quick to learn is really important. There are so many people working at the factory and each with different machinery that you need to be able to get to grips with each new thing quickly.
Everyone at the site has made me feel really comfortable about going to them with any questions I have which has made me feel like I’ve already learnt so much.
Therefore, being quick to take things on and not afraid to ask questions are helping me to make the most of my time here.
What do you consider to be your biggest personal success at the company so far?
I felt really proud to get onto the apprenticeship course at CCE, as a lot of people applied for this position and it was really quite competitive.
A definite highlight was being involved in a recent advertising campaign for the company.
Another apprentice from East Kilbride, Toby Singh, and I took part in a photoshoot at the factory which went on to feature in national newspapers, highlighting the work CCE is doing in the local communities where it operates.
It was great to get involved, and share my experience, as well as raise awareness of the local opportunities available within such a global brand. I found it bizarre, but also exciting to see my face in the newspaper!
What are the most rewarding parts of your job?
One of the most rewarding parts of my job has been becoming part of the factory team and growing trust to take on certain responsibilities.
All of the engineers have helped to guide me through my time here and I am getting some fantastic hands-on experience with the machinery on-site.
For example, I can now set up the labeller. It’s really rewarding that the team trusts me to take on certain tasks.
Do you have a grand career ambition?
Once I’ve finished my apprenticeship, I will move on to study for my Higher National Certificate.
Within 10 years I hope to move through the ranks and into management working across a variety of different sites and different departments within the company.
