It was fantastic to welcome the students from Auchmuty High School to provide them an insight into our manufacturing facility in Glenrothes.
This opportunity came about following a work experience opportunity via Developing the Young Workforce Scotland scheme earlier this year, when practical metalwork student, Brodie Thomson, attended a week’s welding work experience. The scheme was introduced by the Scottish Government back in 2014 to try and reduce the rate of youth unemployment.
Derek O’Brien, Teacher Of Craft and Technology said “One of the aims of the scheme is for schools to build relationships with employers to help bridge the knowledge gap for our young people between the workplace and the learning that takes place in school.”
Brodie said “I was given a tour of the factory and a health and safety induction prior to be introduced the welding tradesmen I would be working with for the remainder of the week. On Day one I got a chance to practice MIG (Metal Inert Gas) welding to build up my skills doing practice welds before getting the chance to weld something more challenging.”
“Throughout the week I got a chance to learn how to TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) weld as well as brazing and seem welding. The pictures attached here are some of the work I produced throughout the week. On the last day I got a chance to weld a tank support that was going out to a customer, which made me feel very trusted that my skills had developed so much throughout the week to trust me to weld something that was going to be used. I feel I learned some important employability skills during my week with the company”. Brodie commented he had really enjoyed the work experience with McDonald Water Storage and feel that has helped me make my decision about wanting to pursue an apprenticeship that involved welding in the future.
The five students were given an overview of our production facility and manufacturing techniques used to produce products such as MULTIflow and THERMflow thermal stores and POWERflow unvented cylinders, to name a few. It allowed them to see first hand not only the modern methods of sheet punching using the all electric AMADA punching machine, but also the traditional brazing techniques with the teacher becoming one of the students for a short while.
