National Apprenticeship Week

March 5, 2020 News

National Apprenticeship week 3rd Feb – 9th Feb

February 3rd-9th was National Apprentice Week – celebrating all those involved within apprenticeships across England.

Here at Smith of Derby we are extremely proud of all our apprentices and are delighted to celebrate the success of the program which is run in partnership with Learning Unlimited.

The annual celebration, which is now in its thirteenth year, brings the whole apprenticeship community together to promote and explore the positive impact of apprenticeships on individuals, employers and the economy across the UK.

Over the last five years we have employed Seven apprentices in both clock making and administration roles. Our latest apprentice clockmaker, Ethan Burnett, joined the company in September 2019 and has been working with our team and specialist training manager, Tony Charlesworth. Alongside this Ethan has been attending day release with Learning Unlimited, to take part in class and workshop-based training.

Since joining Smith of Derby, Ethan has been working in our in-house workshop.  “Being an apprentice opens up a lot of opportunities as not only gaining a lot of experience from work, I’m also learning a lot from college. I enjoy learning all the different skills because no day is the same. There is such a variety in projects I’m always learning” remarks Ethan.

Ethan dismantling, cleaning, and painting a traditional flatbed clock as part of his ongoing training

John Smith, who founded our company in 1856 and is pictured on the right, was himself apprentice to John Whitehurst III – part of the Whitehurst dynasty of clockmakers.

John Smith, founder of Smith of Derby in 1856.

Today, Smith of Derby continue to play its part in the British Horological Industry and our wider role in the development of the next generation of clockmakers through our award-winning apprenticeship program.

We are recruiting today! Why not call us or tell a budding horologist all about us!

About the author

Sam Welton: