Winning apprentice seeks a double
11 Sep 2018
An award-winning apprentice who saved nearly £140,000 from his company’s production costs has been nominated for the regional finals of the National Apprenticeship Awards.
Oliver Marsh has already won British Plastics Federation Apprentice of the Year for his work for his employer, wheelie bin manufacturer OnePlastics Group’s MGB site in Rotherham.
The University of Sheffield AMRC Training Centre graduate is now shortlisted in the NAS Apprentice of the Year higher category.
AMRC director Nikki Jones commented: “During his apprenticeship, and beyond, he has displayed the right attitude, passion and commitment that companies are crying out for in manufacturing and engineering and being shortlisted at the regional finals of the National Apprentice Awards 2018 is testament to that.”
While working at MGB, Marsh reduced the time taken for getting council crest plate changes for local authority bins down from 10 minutes to a mere 34 seconds, saving the company in excess of £137,000 annually in process costs.
Marsh said: “Having finished my apprenticeship in February, I feel very lucky to have been placed under great mentoring at MGB and I’m grateful for the opportunities they have given me throughout my apprenticeship.
“If I were to win the award it would be a big complement to the skills and knowledge I have developed during my apprenticeship and will be a great foundation for furthering my career.”
OnePlastics’ training advisor Ian Cosgrove said the need to attract talented recruits was greater than ever and the company now boasts 18 apprentices.
“At our Rotherham site, MGB is at the UK’s leading producer of wheelie bins, moulding more than 1.5 million units per year, and this figure is forecast to grow with the integration of cutting edge automation and technology,” he explained.
“This business growth can only be achieved by engaging a highly effective multi-disciplined team of well-trained engineers and technicians. As we all know, these people are extremely difficult to find.”
The regional finals of the NAS awards run until 26 September.
