Last week I visited our facility in Ireland with Training School Manager, Robert Farrell, and third-year apprentice, Charlie.
This trip was a chance for me to visit Reliance Precision Manufacturing (Ireland) Limited (RPMI). I had the opportunity to meet my colleagues, get involved with their everyday tasks and gain an insight into how they operate. I flew over for two days and spent time in different departments throughout the visit. I had the chance to see engineering operations and some fascinating machines that can work to impressive tolerances. I got involved as much as I could and learnt quite a lot, which made the trip really beneficial.
The highlight of the trip was having lunch in the canteen with my Irish co-workers, sitting around having conversations and being made to feel welcome. It was a great opportunity to connect with people and improve my confidence. The trip has definitely improved my understanding of engineering processes and increased my interest in machining. I’m looking forward to the point when I can effectively operate a 5-axis machine, and it has motivated me to work as hard as I can to achieve this.
During the visit, I learnt how to inspect a large component using different equipment that I have not yet used. I also saw the manufacturing process for ceramic components for quadrupole mass filters. Overall, the trip was a really valuable experience for me as an apprentice. The RPMI site has some great people who were more than happy to show me some new skills.
Mark
