National Apprentice Week: Meet Our Apprentice Matthew Wetherall
Shout out to our apprentice, Matthew, as we celebrate #nationalapprenticeshipweek! The theme for the 2024 National Apprenticeship Week is “Skills for Life”. What a great way to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career!
Matthew is studying a degree apprenticeship in Business Management, combining rigorous study with hands-on work, blending classroom learning with work at Tradeglaze. We have caught up with him to ask about his experience so far:
What does your normal day look like as a business degree apprentice?
“I spend half of the day learning the degree curriculum and the other half working at Tradeglaze, mostly in the factory helping with stock control, quality control, and health and safety. My work is assessed against Knowledge, Skills, and Behaviour Core Attributes criteria and is documented through evidence, such as witness statements. It’s a very hands-on job and I get to work with the production and installation teams which I enjoy a lot. The work is really varied; one moment I do deliveries for customers and the next I get to work in production on our machines! I really enjoy how I get to apply my learnings straight away in my job.”
How did you choose an apprenticeship?
“I never wanted to do a full-time degree to begin with. I didn’t want to take on a lot of debt. With a degree apprenticeship, you still get a degree and a great social life, but you skip the student debt. When I finish my apprenticeship, I’ll be debt-free and have a guaranteed job. Plus, I learn how business works from day one, getting a head start for my future career. It’s a win-win situation!”
Building a professional network is key when it comes to business. Do you get to make new contacts easily as an apprentice?
“Yes, absolutely. I get to work with our customers on a day-to-day basis and develop relationships by helping them. I get to meet our customers’ children who are often my age and starting in the world of business, too. I plan to do training with our suppliers which I’m looking forward to. Our Tradeglaze team also goes to business events and I get the opportunity to join and meet new people through attending these. Before I joined Tradeglaze, I worked summer jobs here, so I got to build relationships across the departments already. We have a really great team here, everyone is keen to help.”
What do you like about working in the glass and glazing industry?
“I like the practical side of the job such as making and fitting windows. I can see myself doing that in the future. At Tradeglaze, quality is everything. I enjoy making the perfect, high-quality windows for our customers and seeing them happy with the work we’ve done. When I work in the factory I imagine these windows would be going into my own house. Nothing other than perfection will do!”
Well done on everything you have achieved so far, Matthew. Hats off to you, what an exciting start to your career. We are surely very lucky to have you here at Tradeglaze!
