Our apprenticeship programme is one of our proudest achievements. Having started his career as an apprentice himself, our Managing Director, Dave Bates is passionate about giving apprentices the chance to learn and grow, and help shape the future of CWE.
One of our proud success stories, James Danby, joined CWE three years ago to complete his level 3 HETA apprenticeship alongside his college work. Here he gained invaluable work experience, learning the trade as he earned his first wage, and then graduated from his apprenticeship with flying colours.
James is now been a trusted member of the CWE team and has become one of the go-to minds when problem solving on the shop floor and has even taken his education to the next level – in the thick of his final year of my Higher National Certificate.
To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week 2026 we sat down with James a year after his day in the life segment to understand how he has flourished in the last year.
It’s great to sit down with you again James, can you talk us through your last year, and what a CWE apprenticeship has looked like for you?
“This last year has been brilliant, and I have adapted and improved so much. I completed my City and Guilds level 3 apprenticeship as a ‘Maintenance and Operations Engineering Technician’, in June 2025. I thoroughly enjoyed my time as an apprentice, and was supported entirely throughout by both my company and college assessors. I found certain aspects challenging but recognised a continuous and steady progression of my engineering knowledge and skills which relate directly to various engineering processes at CWE.”
Talk us through a typical day at CWE and what that usually looks like.
“Over the past year, I have adapted well to the ever changing and dynamic workflow, which means I could find myself doing something completely different every day – from traveling to our on line wagon site to dimensionally check bogies, to using our CMM machine to measure axle boxes to a high degree of accuracy. I constantly use skills acquired from past experiences and challenges, applying to them to whatever the day might have in store for me. I am now also in my final year of my Higher National Certificate, which CWE have been very supportive with and I am forever grateful for the opportunity.”
Would you recommend the apprenticeship route to a young person debating their career choices?
“I’d definitely recommend any young person to explore the world of apprenticeships before committing themselves to following the conventional college and then university route, no matter what career aspects they may have. Apprenticeships are more supported than ever, and give young people the experience of working in a real workplace environment whilst gaining valuable and applicable knowledge and skills. Personally, I felt a great sense of reward upon finding myself using hands-on skills that I learned during the first year of my apprenticeship at HETA, whilst completing jobs at CWE.
Where would someone start if they are looking into apprenticeships? What’s your advice?
“My advice to anyone wanting to look into apprenticeships would be to just ask questions. Employers love to see genuine people wanting to better themselves and unlock doors for themselves. For anyone looking into an engineering apprenticeship, I’d recommend looking into apprenticeships through HETA. Covering all across the Humber region, HETA have excellent relations with many companies that are interested in hiring engineering apprentices, both electrical, mechanical and beyond. CWE is a brilliant place to work and I’m grateful that I went down this path. Also, I’d recommend to any apprentice to be proactive where possible in regards their coursework – keeping on top of your coursework makes the whole experience much more enjoyable!”
Our apprenticeship opportunities include Machining, Welding, and Fitting, with options available both onsite and offsite. If none of these areas feel like the right fit, we still encourage you to get in touch to discuss other opportunities we may be able to offer. There are no entry requirements, as all training is provided as part of the apprenticeship and apprenticeships open annually from 1 April for a September intake. Benefits include full-time employment, competitive salaries, extensive training, access to our pension scheme, and family-friendly policies. If you are interested in applying, please email your CV along with references to thomas.johnson@cwelimited.com.
