Xtrac has continued to develop its workforce year on year, with a strong focus on its apprenticeship scheme, now in its 30^th year. New for 2021, and with the grand opening planned for Autumn this year, is Xtrac’s Apprentice Training Area.

This dedicated area of the Thatcham based factory will be for the sole use of apprentices and will house a wide range of machinery and equipment such as grinding machines, lathes and mills, as well as a separate classroom for theory-based learning. The classroom will also introduce apprentices to electronics which is an increasingly important area aiding advancements in Xtrac’s gearchange and integration activities.

Each year Xtrac hosts its own internal awards for apprentices and undergraduates in recognition of outstanding achievement. These are:

The Mark O’Brien Award – open to employees supported by the company for a Bachelor’s Degree or higher or equivalent qualification, considers academic progress, contribution to the business and the wider community, personal development, and positive attitude in offering and implementing improvement ideas.

The Darren Huttel Award – open to all current Xtrac apprentices where voting criteria takes into consideration the quality of college work and overall performance and conduct both at work and at college.

The 2020 Darren Huttel award was won by Faye Cooke who is now completing her tour of the various factory departments, which recently included the Drawing Office, Heat Treatment and Grinding. On completion of her tour, Faye spent three months working in Xtrac’s Process Improvement department ahead of starting her final placement.

Reflecting on her journey through the factory, Faye recalls “I was impressed at how quickly I was allowed to work directly on the various machines in each area and what tremendous support I received from the mentors in every department, it really helped me to understand all of the disciplines. Each apprentice is allowed to choose their top six departments to specialise in and I was fortunate to get my first choice and will shortly be starting my final placement in Turning”.

As Xtrac continues to grow, its industry leading training and development programmes will continue to provide outstanding opportunities for everyone and anyone with the passion and drive to succeed.

For more information on Xtrac careers, visit xtrac.com/careers.