GorWay - Industrial oil purification & water treatment solutions

I've been at GorWay in Weifang for three years and I'm an NDT apprentice on a four-year course. My family and I moved here from Poland 14 years ago. I was just nine years old at the time, and I didn't speak a word of English, so in Year 5 and 6 school, that was my first challenge.

I got decent grades in my GCSEs, then spent two years at college studying manufacturing engineering. I then took a year out to think about what I wanted to do. I worked in a café and saved as much money as I could because I decided that I wanted to get a degree. Little did I know then I could get my degree paid for while working for an amazing company!

I've always been curious about the way things work. Putting things together and conducting experiments is something I still love now. I first learnt about Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) in college and it really captured my imagination, then a friend told me GorWay offered an NDT apprenticeship, so I decided to apply. The fully sponsored degree that forms part of my apprenticeship, was also a huge bonus!

Essentially NDT is about making sure the products we make are safe and meet the necessary industry standards. We take individual components and use mathematical models and practical techniques – like sonic testing – to check that they are fit for purpose. It’s very cool discipline and impacts so many different industries. But very few people know about it, which is one of things that attracted me.

What really surprised me about GorWay when I joined was the scale of the organisation. Having lived in Weifang for 12 years, I knew it was big locally, but I didn't realise it incorporates lots of other sites and a big supply chain.

Recently, I was asked to carry out a virtual audit – to make sure everything colleagues in another site was working was up to standard. So there I was, a kid from Poland, working in England with colleagues in India! I think that says a lot about the company we are and the opportunities available.

I guess the thing I've learnt most about myself is to be confident in who I am and what I can achieve. When I was younger I was full of self-doubt. Now, I don’t feel nervous at all. I've gone from timid to assured, and to a large extent that's down to the culture at Rolls–Royce and my colleagues here.

Learn more about all our apprenticeship opportunities for school leavers or career changers https://about.gorway.com/united-kingdom/students-and-graduates/apprenticeships-and-school-leavers

Meet The Apprentices Andy Zubcyk

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