(Image above: Mr Camden-Redding with his Cable Dispenser innovation.)
This National Apprenticeship Week (10 – 16 February), Highway Care is shining the spotlight on Jacob Camden-Redding, a promising apprentice who joined the company in 2022, aged just 17.
Since joining Highway Care, Mr Camden-Redding has impressed, adapting quickly and taking an active role in shaping how the company's workshop operates.
In what amounts to a perfect endorsement of the apprenticeship model itself, he has learned from his colleagues but his colleagues have also learned from him.
Marketing executive, Kelly Cronin, caught up with Mr Camden-Redding to ask him a few questions about his experience.
What made you decide that the apprenticeship route was the best route for you?
I had planned to go back to college to play rugby but, after spending the summer working in the Highway Care production department, I was offered my apprenticeship. As I enjoyed my time in the workshop so much, I decided to take up the opportunity.
The apprenticeship does involve some classroom learning at college, but the majority of my time is spent in the workshop, learning from my colleagues as I work. It really suits me, and I enjoy being able to practice my skills and work as part of the team. I think learning in this kind of environment gives you skills that you can only get from apprenticeship-style training, such as problem-solving and collaboration.
The support from colleagues is a real confidence boost and when I have assignments from college, it’s really useful to be able to talk to experienced colleagues about my work. The company is really supportive too, giving me the time and space to complete my coursework alongside my work.
How do you think the apprenticeship has helped you develop your career?
I have been able to work on live projects since day one, and I work in an environment where colleagues are interested in my ideas and value my work. I’m also working for a company that has real purpose – what I do at work every day helps people stay safer on the roads and is making a positive difference to people’s lives.
The engineering skills I’m learning at Highway Care and the qualification I’m working towards have very varied applications, which gives me so many options for career development. Engineering is all about problem solving and finding the best solution, and I think that’s a great approach to tackling any job role.
What are your favourite things about your job?
One of the most important things is the people I work with; I have felt welcome and part of the team since my very first day.
I also love the variety. No two days are ever the same. I even get to work on product development projects, and it’s exciting to work on initiatives that are at the cutting edge.
Talking of innovation, you have initiated a project of your own, what is that?
The project is called the 'Cable Dispenser' and it stemmed from an idea I had when we had a very busy workload in the workshop. We were spending valuable time cutting cables and sorting them into sets.
We use cables in batches of 15, but the rig we were using only held 2 at a time, so I started to think about how we could streamline the process by getting more cables cut at once, and, at the same time, avoid the need to have reels on the workshop floor so that we can all move around the space more easily and safely.
The cable dispensing device I’ve created holds more than 8 cable reels. This allows us to hold all the cables we need at once, so that none are cluttering up the floor space. I wanted us to be able to move the device around the workshop easily, so I decided to add wheels, but I knew any wheels would need to have integral brakes so that it was safe. Because we didn’t have any wheels available with casters and brakes, I had to innovate and came up with the idea of using a BG800 wheelset, with the addition of a metal element that could be adjusted with a ratchet to raise the dispenser off the floor so that it would remain static.
My idea worked really well and has delivered a huge time-saving for the workshop, as well as making our cable use more convenient and safer. The device is already in use by the whole team in our workshop and it will form part of my apprenticeship for the specialist engineering unit, so I’m doing the documentation for my college folder, which includes getting an engineering drawing together and taking pictures (I’ll give it another lick of paint for that!).
What have been the most important things you’ve learned from your apprenticeship?
I've learned to be more methodological in my thinking and planning. The old ‘measure twice, cut once’ mantra of the workshop environment is a good way to approach everything. If you care about what you do, it’s always important to do it well, and that piece of advice has helped me at college as well as at work.
A career awaits
Mr Camden-Redding is due to finish his apprenticeship at Highway Care this summer, and, having already impressed with his initiative, creativity, and enthusiasm for learning, the company is excited to see his career develop in the direction he decides.
