National Apprenticeship Week 2025
To mark National Apprenticeship Week 2025, we spoke to former engineering apprentice Frazer, who completed a three-year apprenticeship at Cygnet Texkimp in 2022 and now works as a full-time mechanical fitter and installation engineer, assembling, installing and commissioning our machines around the world.
Why did you choose an engineering apprenticeship?
Frazer: “At school, I was always happiest in lessons with a practical element, like product engineering and graphic design, and I knew I wanted to go into engineering once I finished school. My apprenticeship gave me my first taste of independence and financial freedom in a workplace where I could learn from experienced engineers. Working with people of different ages helped me to mature and gave me the confidence to take on more responsibility.”
How has being an apprentice at Cygnet Texkimp helped you in your career so far?
Frazer: “Being an apprentice was a great way for me to start earning money early, but it gave me so much more than that too. It gave me the structure of a job with the opportunity to learn from people who’ve been doing it for years, even decades, and to learn quickly as a result. It gave me the fundamental engineering skills that I now use in my full-time job. I can build and run large-scale fibre processing machines because of the training and experience I got as an apprentice.”
Tell us about your work now. What do you enjoy most about your job?
Frazer: “I’m now a mechanical fitter, which involves assembling and running customer machines here in Cheshire before installing them at sites all over the world. My role gives me lots of opportunity to travel, which I love. In the last 12 months, I’ve been part of a team installing our machines in China, South Korea and Turkey. I’ve enjoyed taking on this responsibility and knowing that I’m trusted to represent Cygnet Texkimp around the world. There’s a lot of work to do on these trips, but there’s also the chance to see some of the countries we visit.”
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