Meet the Apprentice - Wayne King

Wayne King – Technical Service Engineer 

“I work at Chemring Countermeasures (CCM UK) in Salisbury.  The site is approximately 100 acres and is a countermeasures manufacturing facility. I work as a Technical Service Engineer covering two departments within the Design & Infrastructure Programmes. My role in the Test House has many jobs, from calibrating our equipment to running environmental tests on live pyrotechnic materials, report writing, and maintaining the equipment calibration database.

Working for the PDS teams, we get involved in the breaking down of our countermeasures after they have been through different conditions. This could include having countermeasures that have been in service, coming to the end of their serviceable life and seeing if the serviceable life could be extended.”

What attracted you to an apprenticeship at Chemring?

“I have been with Chemring for 14 years now, having started in 2007 working dayshift in the Al-glass department producing the chaff for some of our products. Then, just after a year, I moved onto the nightshift, where I stayed for a further six years.

When I was approached about the apprenticeship, it looked interesting, as it was going to be a new course called Ordnance Munition & Explosive (OME). We would be the pioneers boldly going where no one has gone before! It sounded exciting.”

Can you give an overview of your apprenticeship and what qualification will it give you at the end?

“I had already completed an apprenticeship back in the early 1990s in mechanical engineering and attained all my City and Guilds certificates to complete the apprenticeship. So, I knew what I was letting myself in for. The apprenticeship is in two parts. The onsite OME section, which is done while we are working in our daily job roles, is ongoing for 30 months.

We must complete the HNC in Mechanical Engineering, which is done through the Wiltshire College campus in Chippenham. This has been a bit of an eye-opener, as I have been out of education for over 20 years.”

 What have you enjoyed about your apprenticeship so far?

“It has been a learning curve again trying to get back into the mindset of being a student, all while I still have normal family life going on. Having a little one at nursery age and due to go into education this September has been challenging. Trying to do assignments while he wants to help or wants me to play games with him is interesting. My wife is also doing a degree in mechanical engineering at Portsmouth University, so we have had to schedule times to work while at home. That way, we can still try to occupy the mind of our little 4½-year-old. 

It was hard going back into a classroom environment while at college, as the brain hasn’t had to do that much in the last 20 years! So, throw the pandemic into the mix as well, and the learning has had a few challenges.”

 Since becoming an apprentice, can you say how your future career plans have changed or developed and what you are looking forward to in the future?

“I can’t say anything has changed as yet with regards to my future career, but it will give me a standing if I wish to continue progressing my career within Chemring. I am looking forward to guiding my son with all my knowledge to help him achieve his goals in life so that he can be happy. I’m hoping to go onto the HND Year 1 this September to run alongside the HNC Year 2.”

 What advice would you give to anybody starting an apprenticeship in Chemring today?

“I would say to any new apprentice to make sure to take notes of what they are taught - be it in college or the workplace. Don't leave things to the last minute; just get it done, and if they don't understand something, just ask the wealth of knowledge around them within our workforce. I'm sure; as a company, we have some very clever people to mentor them. The most important thing is to enjoy what you are doing as that helps the learning process.”