I’D never seen the campus before, and was impressed by the size and scale of the place.

My first stop in learning what an apprentice does was the plumbing workshop, where it became apparent just how much practical experience apprentices get during their time at the college. The workshop was fitted out with all the kit that an aspiring plumber would need.

Ben Crittenden, 18, a second year plumbing apprentice, showed me some elementary techniques for fitting two pieces of copper pipe together.

After a bit of a demonstration, I had a go myself, cutting and soldering .

Ben was very patient with me explaining exactly how to do it, taking me through step by step, showing that he really knows what he is talking about. “It’s the best way to learn, to get hands on,” Ben explains to me. “It’s an excellent place to learn how to do it correctly and it’s a great way to get the experience necessary.”.

The next class I went to was an engineering course, where the class was being shown how to use designing software to help create the plans for products.

The complex software, called CAD (Computer Aided Design,) is exactly what the professionals use in the field.

I spoke to one of the apprentices, Santosh Pun, 31, who talked me through the exercise he was doing. “It’s a really useful skill to have,” he said. “and you can’t learn this everywhere.

We spend a lot of time using CAD, which prepares us for the next stage in our career.”

The final apprentice that I met was 19-year-old Daniel Rose, a digital marketing apprentice.

His role involves looking after the college’s social media, writing press releases, and helping organise events which the college has coming up. “It’s really opened up my eyes to the skills I need to progress further and shown me what I want to do,” he said.