He’s one of our own

Ashley Wainwright is fast on his way to becoming one of In-Comm Training’s best assessors and tutors and a fitting reminder that, as a company, we practice what we preach.

He joined us in July 2016 after deciding he was more interested in vocational learning than going to University and studying for a degree.

The 19-year-old from Lichfield came through the firm’s recruitment process and into a pool of potential apprentices for local employers. However, his potential shone through so much during this exercise, the management team decided they wanted to try to nurture this talent themselves and put him through an apprenticeship that could eventually lead to him becoming an assessor/tutor in engineering.

In his first year, Ashley completed his Foundation apprenticeship, where he gained the fundamental skills of engineering on manual machines. He then went on to pass his advanced modern apprenticeship, but with a slight difference.

We wanted to really test his skills and challenged him to complete two technical certificates – the 2850 which is the craft route and the BTEC level 3 diploma. This would normally be a steep learning curve for a young person, not Ashley who excelled at both courses. 

At the same time, he also took it on himself to enroll on a CNC course, where he learned how to programme and set up CNC machines – across five different models – using multiple languages.  His ability to manage a growing workload, whilst organising his weekly tasks, were key reasons for him completing all of his certificates to a very high standard.

During Ashley’s time as an apprenticeship, In-Comm Training changed from Apprenticeship frameworks to standards, which resulted in numerous new units having to be written from scratch so the company could continue to deliver apprenticeships to the next generation. 

The budding tutor/assessor played a vital role in this process, helping develop and write several of the units on the new standards. For somebody of his age, this is a great achievement and has ensured In-Comm is in a strong position to compete against other providers, especially in the field of CNC training on many different CNC operating systems.

Supported by our experienced industry trainers, Ashley helps to teach around thirty apprentices over the course of the week, working with multiple companies to ensure his industry knowledge is continually growing and we are delivering tailored skills support to meet their ever-changing workforce requirements.

He also plays a key role in In-Comm and MCMT open days and representing the company at promotional events with businesses and schools.

“Going down the apprenticeship route is the best decision I’ve ever made and it has certainly accelerated my career development,” added Ashley.

“I’ve taken on a lot of additional responsibilities during my course and been involved in a lot of major projects at In-Comm, giving me great exposure to companies in lots of different industries. My opinion really matters and that is important when you are one of the youngest people on the team.”