Meet assembly apprentice Billy Nobes
Billy Nobes is a final year assembly apprentice, based at Ricardo’s Midlands Technical Centre. An opportunity to grow, learn and develop in a hands-on technical role, while also establish a career, was what most appealed to him about joining Ricardo as an apprentice.
Why an Apprenticeship?
Although I was good at school, I never really enjoyed sitting in a classroom, so I wanted to find something that would be hands-on and active. I began looking at apprenticeships and I was really impressed with Ricardo’s facilities, especially the workshop areas. I applied for and was offered an assembly apprentice role. My apprenticeship is a four-year course. I transferred to the Midlands Technical Centre for my second year, following a year at college. I’m now in my final year and have really enjoyed it.
What inspired you to look at an apprenticeship?
Aside being able to earn while I learn and the hands-on nature of an apprenticeship, I’m also really into cars and motorsports. I did some work experience prior to joining Ricardo, at a private tank collector, which I found fascinating. So, it seemed like the perfect fit, something I was genuinely passionate and interested in.
Being an apprentice allows you to develop a routine. The experience you get from being in a work environment is very valuable. I know people who have chosen to go to university, and who have really struggled with creating a routine. Hand-on experience is also important, and earning a wage is nice of course. The qualifications are comparable, but the experience is much more valuable.
What’s the best thing about your job?
I was given the opportunity to go to Silverstone with the Aston Martin project. There was an issue with the sensors on the car and being able to observe how they worked on a solution, going into their test facility before the Valkyrie was released, was a great experience.
It was great to see the product that our gearboxes go into. The part we manufacture for them is important, it must work alongside many other parts to ensure maximum performance.
Also, just being able to work on some of the other projects – is interesting – for example, I watch rally and know that are products are making a huge difference to the performance of vehicles.
What about the challenges?
You’ll always come up against challenges within engineering and manufacturing; it’s finding the solutions to those problems that make the job so interesting.
I would say one of the biggest challenges is understanding complex things. That’s why working as part of a team is so important – as it allows you to learn new things, make mistakes, but have the reassurance that someone will always be there to help and direct you – that's also a good thing about being an apprentice – it's about learning, gaining experience and expertise from those around you. There’s always someone or a system in place that can be used to figure out the right solution to any problem, or if there isn’t one, we create a new one.
What are your future aspirations?
I like my job and Ricardo, so I plan to stay here for now, but my real ambition would be to work for a racing team. We’ll see what the future holds.
What advice would you give to anyone looking for an apprenticeship?
When I was looking, the Government website was a good place to start – that's where I found out about the Ricardo apprenticeship. I did quite a bit of research, it wasn’t easy, but it was worth it.
Ricardo also visited my school and did a workshop with students, so that helped me understand a bit more about what they offered and made me aware of the business.
Being here, it’s given me the opportunity to work on lots of different types of projects, for several different customers, which is great, as it means I have gained more experience.
As an apprentice, you’re here to learn, but you’re also here to bring a new objective. You’re not expected to know everything on day one, but you are part of the team and contribute to the success of projects and the business.”
