Marshall Centre writes:
Today we celebrate 100 years of apprenticeships with Harry Rayner.
Harry always had an interest in science and maths. He was predicted C’s in science but a teacher told him to ask why things happened, which made him curious and motivated him to find out more. Since taking on board that advice he achieved A*’s in science instead. That advice also fuelled his love for science and maths. After completing his A-levels in physics, history and math at Long Road Sixth Form, he wanted a break from studying and took a gap year to decide what career path he wanted to follow.
“Many of my friends went to university and I just wasn’t really sure if I wanted to go down that route yet. I had a few mutual friends from Marshall so I decided to apply as I thought it was the right career move for me.”
After completing the recruitment process, Harry joined Marshall on 2nd September 2019. The cohort started learning hand skills and had few funny moments. One day they were making patches to repair planes and an apprentice made a mistake, creating a hole in his patch. He didn’t want to start over so he used sealant to cover up his mistake. However, nothing gets past our trainers, so when he took it for inspection, he was told to start over, much to everyones ammusement.
One of Harry’s proudest moments was volunteering to take part in the virtual RIAT live stream, working with other apprentices to showcase Marshall Aerospace and Defence’s capabilities and reflect on his experiences.
“I’m not confident in front of a camera so I was glad I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and tried something new. When I arrived on-set there was a professional camera crew, which at first made me nervous but it was such a good experience and an enjoyable day.”
He also participated in a STEM activity teaching primary school children how to build paper aeroplanes during lockdown.
Due to Covid, office rotations are now mostly virtual but Harry is looking forward to returning to work when it’s safe as he misses being around everyone.
“Everyone in Marshall is so helpful and supportive of the apprenticeship scheme, mainly because they can relate to being an apprentice as they were once in my shoes. I’m really grateful for the experience I’m gaining – thank you Marshall!”
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