Earlier this year, Leonardo UK Chair and CEO, Clive Higgins, met with apprentices at our Luton site in order to learn about their experiences and hear ideas on what could improve their apprenticeships.
One of the suggestions proposed was for apprentices to learn more about parts of the business they do not work for directly, particularly our Helicopters business, by arranging trips to the different sites; the aircraft we build in Yeovil are protected by systems that many of the Electronics apprentices work on in their day-to-day roles.
A former Leonardo apprentice himself, Clive agreed this was a great idea and set the visit in motion.
Fast forward to this July, and the Luton apprentices set off early to travel the 140-mile journey around the M25 and past Stonehenge to Leonardo’s facility in Yeovil – the Home of British Helicopters.
Ben Lavery, Early Careers Training Manager at our Yeovil site, welcomed the cohort: “We are always happy to host apprentices from the other Leonardo sites, as it enables all of us to gain a further insight and understanding of the wider organisation. For me, the most important aspect of these visits is to enable networking between our young people, so that they can share their experiences.”
Following these objectives, Ben gave an introduction to the business and the platforms that are manufactured in Yeovil, before Leonardo trainees from both Helicopters and Electronics hosted a series of presentations. The presentations included an overview of their training programmes and placements, followed by detailed conversation about the work done at each of the sites.
The Luton apprentices were then taken on a tour of the site, which included visits to the Transmission Centre of Excellence, Composites Centre of Excellence, Simulators, and the Build & Flight lines. The visit to the Build & Flight enabled visibility of Leonardo’s electronic equipment fitting onto the aircraft, whilst the visit to the Simulators enabled broader conversations about the incorporation of systems into the virtual environment.
Cyril Lukose, a Business Degree Apprentice at our Luton site, joined fellow apprentices on this trip to Yeovil, the Home of British Helicopters. He commented: “It was exciting to travel down to see Leonardo’s helicopter facility and gain a better insight into another area of the business that we would not normally have exposure to. The trip also allowed us to network and build relationships with the apprentices in Yeovil.
“Furthermore, this visit outlined the interdependence and importance of the various businesses within Leonardo. I enjoyed being able to further my knowledge of Leonardo’s products, and to see some of the aircraft first-hand.”
Meanwhile, Darla Pearce, an Electronic Engineering Apprentice at our Luton site, extolled the virtues of being able to see her work in the field: “I got to see some of the components I’d actually worked on being used and integrated into the helicopter, and, in the simulations centre, I was able to fly in an AW159 which uses our Helicopter Integrated Defensive Aids System (HIDAS)!”
Mark Sheerin, Leonardo Senior Early Career Business Partner, accompanied the apprentices on their visit. He added: “As well as seeing the site and getting a flavour of the helicopters business, this was a wonderful opportunity for the apprentices to share their experiences of the programme, discuss the qualifications they are working on, and talk about projects they help deliver within their placements.”
