Airbus career inspires Higher Apprentice of the Year Alex
Alex Birbeck with his Higher Apprentice of the Year award
Marvelling at how engineering has made such an impact in day-to-day life, Alex Birbeck wanted a career that would inspire him to be innovative and creative. So he applied to become an apprentice at Airbus, one of the world’s largest aircraft manufacturers.
And his hard work paid off as he was named Higher Apprentice of the Year at a high profile Apprenticeship Awards Cymru ceremony held at the Celtic Manor Resort, Newport.
The ceremony brought together the cream of learners, employers and training providers across Wales, who have shown total dedication and commitment to skills development and business improvement.
Responding to the award, Alex said: “I’m totally shocked to be honest, because I thought my colleague Daniel Holland was going to win. This award validates everything that I have done so far in my career and it’s nice to be recognised.
“Being able to say that I was the Higher Apprentice of the Year is going to look good on my cv.”
Showcasing excellence in skills development in Wales, the awards were organised by the Welsh Government in partnership with the National Training Federation for Wales (NTfW) and sponsored by Pearson with support from media partner Media Wales.
The awards recognise the outstanding achievements of learners, employers and providers that have exceeded expectations and demonstrated enterprise, creativity and a real commitment to improving skills for the benefit of the Welsh economy. The Apprenticeship Programme is funded by the Welsh Government with the support of the European Social Fund.
Deliberating between a route through university or an apprenticeship programme, Alex took the latter as he felt the prospects would be much more rewarding, opting for a Higher Engineering Apprenticeship.
“Not only could I gain an invaluable experience working with one of the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers, but also I would have opportunities that very few others could say they had,” said Alex.
“For me personally the main opportunity was to work with and learn from experienced engineers who were experts in their field. This was something that was just not accessible through the university route.”
Alex took up the apprenticeship after successfully attaining his A-levels and has achieved NVQ Level 2 Performing Engineering Operations, Level 4 in Engineering Leadership, Essential Skills Level 3 and a Foundation degree from learning provider, Glyndwr University.
He has not looked back, working in several teams within Airbus and making personal contributions to projects such as Long Range Design, where an engineering solution was needed on an A330 aircraft wing set.
“After working through the complexities of the problem with the engineers and coming up with a viable and suitable solution, I was able to learn a great deal about both the product and the engineering methodology that was used throughout,” he said.
Having recently completed his Higher Apprenticeship, his ambition is to go on to a Degree in Aeronautical Engineering.
Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology, Ken Skates said: “The Apprenticeship Awards allow us to celebrate the range of skills that our young people have to offer as well as the dedication shown by employers and training providers and I’d like to congratulate all of the worthy winners.
“It was a real pleasure to meet such hard-working and ambitious young people who have all achieved so much, as well as the employers and training providers who have gone that extra mile in supporting young people to fulfil their potential. They are all a credit to themselves and an inspiration to others.
“Our recent budget announcement has confirmed an additional £12.5 million to extend our Jobs Growth Wales programme for a fourth year. This means that we can create more than 4,000 extra job opportunities for 16-24 year olds in 2015-16. The Welsh Government will also be investing a further £20 million in 2015-16 to support apprenticeships. This is excellent news for our young people and our employers and will allow us to make a real difference.”
Showcasing excellence in skills development in Wales, the awards are sponsored by Pearson PLC with support from media partner, Media Wales. Award Sponsors are Leadership & Management Wales and ACT Training.
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