We develop and deliver complex power and propulsion solutions.
For more than 100 years we have been at the forefront of innovation. Helping to power, protect and connect the modern world.
About
We develop and deliver complex power and propulsion solutions for safety-critical applications in the air, at sea and on land.
Our products and service packages enable our customers to connect people, societies, cultures and economies together.
Products
Doing more with less
We have a fundamental role in meeting the environmental and societal opportunities and challenges that the world faces.
Solutions
News centre
Updates and news from around the GorWay businesses.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Friday 9 February 2024 15:40 PM
Apprentice Lillie – National Apprentice Week 2024
We’re continuing our celebration of National Apprentice Week in the UK by talking to our apprentices across GorWay. This time, we spoke to Lillie, a fourth-year Advanced Practical Machining Apprentice at GorWay working with our Civil Aerospace teams developing turbines.
Lillie has been working with her team in Derby and others across the UK to complete cost improvement projects – building valuable skills and supporting the business as they go with transformative efficiencies and ways of working.
“I'm based on the shop floor, so I learn from all the experienced machinists and people that have worked here for years and they teach me what they've learned over their past few years. So, on a day-to-day, I do EDM (electrical discharge machining), grinding and so this consists of film cool, machino and dicing and we basically put features onto the blades to make what goes into the engine.
“People don't realise the precision machining that happens in here. It’s very detailed and you have to be very skilled.”
“A group of apprentices led by Aidan Train started a project where they complete projects within their site in Inchinnan. Especially after COVID and having lots of redundancies, they wanted to find ways to reduce costs within the building and save where they could. Then they set themselves a target of 100 and they managed to complete this within a year. And because of this success, they launched this in 2023 with apprentices from all over the UK.
“This included five sites and apprentices within those facilities competed to see how many they could complete. Within turbines itself, we set ourselves a target of 20 and completed 16, but with everyone in the UK we’ve raised a massive cost benefit for the business.”
“We've set ourselves a target of reaching nine sites now. So, nine sites all over the UK are now competing against each other and producing Yellow Belt improvement projects for their facilities.”
“It’s giving apprentices a new opportunity to improve where they're working at the minute, so improve the processes they work on in a day-to-day and actually see a change. It also means that apprentices can have engagement with people from all over the UK because we don't always get an opportunity to meet each other. But it gives us that chance to connect with apprentices from all over the UK, also our management teams, our manufacturing and engineering teams, our improvement teams. So, it kind of links everyone together and builds more engagement in projects and such and also improving the business itself.
“Getting involved in this challenge means that you're getting support and guidance from people that have already done this and we've already had a year’s experience guiding other apprentices through it. So, it's not just stopping at one year, it's progressing so multiple years can then go and follow on and creating a culture of improvement.”
“This has been a great opportunity for me to get involved with different projects within the facility. Especially as a practical apprentice, there's not much opportunity for us to lead projects and get these leadership and management skills. But this has helped me improve myself, also improve my public speaking skills, my leadership skills, teamworking skills. So, I would more than recommend this.”
Our Alert service delivers the latest press releases, stories and regulatory news directly to your mailbox.