Warren’s engineering career began in 1973 as an apprentice, where he specialised in the manufacture of gears and transmissions for a range of industries including machine tool, marine, aerospace, automotive and motorsport.

In 1990, Warren joined Xtrac as a Gear Cutter, and in 2000 began working with the company’s new apprentices, setting up what would quickly become Xtrac’s award winning apprenticeship scheme in 2003.

Stepping back from his role as Technical Team Leader for the gear cutting department three years ago, today Warren is Xtrac’s full time Apprentice Manager, looking after the company’s 20+ apprentices from levels 2 through to 6.

“My role as Apprentice Manager is to design and oversee the implementation and running of Xtrac apprenticeships – mainly in Engineering and Manufacturing. I am responsible for the training, learning and welfare of our apprentices, training programme design, partners and providers and IQA (Internal Quality Assurance).”

In addition to being a member of the City & Guilds Industry Skills Board, Quality Standards Committee, Employer Industry Board, and consultant to City & Guilds, Warren is also a qualified apprentice assessor and verifier. His detailed knowledge of how apprenticeships work, along with his own personal experience of starting out as an apprentice have ensured the success of Xtrac’s apprentice scheme, and his hard work, passion and dedication has without doubt been instrumental in securing Xtrac’s many awards, including the prestigious Princess Royal Training Award in 2018.