World Youth Skills Day – Shaping Future Talent Through Engineering Apprenticeships
World Youth Skills Day is about raising awareness of the importance of equipping young people with the necessary skills for employment, entrepreneurship, and self-employment.
At Castlet, we are dedicated to helping the next generation of engineers to fulfil their career ambitions, offering engineering apprenticeships to help young people develop the skills they need for a long-lasting career in engineering.
This World Youth Skills Day, we sat down with our latest apprentice James Darley, who is currently doing a Level 3 Engineering Fitter Apprenticeship, to discuss how his experience with Castlet has helped to shape his technical knowledge and build a strong foundation for a long-term career in engineering.
What apprenticeship are you pursuing at Castlet?
I’m currently completing a Level 3 Engineering Fitter Apprenticeship – a two-and-a-half-year course that I began in September 2024.
How did you find out about Castlet and why did you choose to do an apprenticeship with the company?
I found out about Castlet through my own research into companies offering engineering apprenticeships. What stood out to me was the company’s focus on developing apprentices’ skills and the fact that a large number of current employees at Castlet came through an apprenticeship scheme.
What does your day-to-day role look like?
My daily responsibilities are varied and give me good experience in different areas of engineering. My main responsibilities involve producing general arrangement drawings and performing incoming and final inspections for our products.
These tasks have greatly improved my ability to pay attention to detail and to work efficiently and methodically since they need to be done to a high level of accuracy. In addition to my core responsibilities, I’ve also taken on tasks such as routine checks of the emergency lighting system, which has helped me develop personal responsibility and accountability.
What key skills have you learnt during your apprenticeship?
Since starting my apprenticeship, I have learned how to use the CAD software AutoCAD from scratch, which has been a valuable tool for creating accurate and detailed engineering drawings.
I work closely with a tight-knit team of engineers which has developed my ability to function as part of a team.
I have also improved my professional responsibility, through additional tasks and quality assurance work.
What are you looking forward to in your future career?
I’m due to complete my apprenticeship in early 2027, and I’m excited to keep learning new things and developing my skills in engineering. My experience with Castlet so far has helped shape my technical knowledge and built a strong foundation for a long-term career.
Supporting skills development at Castlet
At Castlet, we are passionate about shaping the future of engineering talent through apprenticeships and other routes into the field, such as entry level roles for university graduates.
Our colleagues take ownership of their own personal and professional development through undertaking training and qualifications to suit their learning style. We have a hands-on approach, meaning that our apprentices and other junior team members gain experience working on-site and with clients from the very beginning.
Some of our longstanding team members, such as Industrial Sales Manager Ian Fox who has worked at the business for 22 years, started out as apprentices, with Ian starting as an apprentice draughtsman back in 2001.
Our products are industry-leading across sectors – from aerospace to industrial – meaning we are always at the forefront when it comes to innovation, and our engineers drive this forward.
The team at Castlet is always growing. If you’re interested in learning more about what we do, visit: https://www.castletltd.com/about-us/.
