Apprenticeships

START AS YOU MEAN TO GO ON

With a burgeoning apprenticeship program across multiple disciplines, you may discover an opportunity to begin your career with COBA. Whether you have experience or are just starting out, we are always on the lookout for talented individuals interested in joining a close-knit company and tackling problems and finding solutions.

CAD Technician Chris Daly

Extrusion Tool Design Engineer Jordan Wyatt

Metrology Engineer George Jennings-Bates

Apprentice Electrical Maintenance Engineer Morgan Kerridge

Chris has a passion for automotive engineering and aspires to one day work in aerodynamics and/or Formula One. Chris joined COBA in 2019 as CAD technician within the Engineering department of COBA Automotive. When asked why he applied for an apprenticeship at COBA, Chris said:

Before joining COBA I was very new to the world of CAD and engineering in general. Without much knowledge of the extrusion or moulding process I saw an opportunity to challenge and apply myself, which would also allow me to gain an understanding of products that surround us everyday but that are unfamiliar to most people.

In terms of learning outcomes during his apprenticeship, Chris spoke of developing an understanding of the manufacturing processes behind the products we used in everyday life, as well as the engineering of these parts. Chris has also been able to develop his CAD skills, learning new software such as ANSYS, as well as becoming familiar with complex processes such as simulations. Chris has also learnt the value of strong communication skills, which he said he will keep for the rest of his career.

After finishing his A-Levels, Jordan knew that he wanted to go into the world of work and had an interest in engineering. Jordan was keen to get work experience, whilst also gaining further qualifications, and so joined COBA in 2015 as an Apprentice. As part of his apprenticeship, Jordan learned a number of important skills including:

  • How to design extrusion tooling.
  • The manufacturing processes in a machine workshop.
  • Use of multiple CAM packages in creating programmes for EDM machines (OneCNC, Fikus, Robocam).

Now that my apprenticeship has finished, I’m still keen to carry on gaining qualifications so will perhaps to do a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Outside of work, Jordan is a Leicester City season ticket holder and can regularly be found at King Power Stadium with his dad.

George was studying for a Level 3 Engineering Technician (Product Design & Development Technician) at the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry, which facilitated him to take an industrial placement at COBA Automotive. During his placement, George developed several skills such as Metrology & Usage of Measurement Instruments, CNC Machining & Programming, and Programming Industrial Automated Technology.

I applied for my apprenticeship at the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre, mainly due to the opportunities that it provided for myself post-completion. After developing a wide range of skills and competence, the AMTC helped me in acquiring a industrial placement position at COBA Automotive, eventually allowing me to move into a full-time position as a Metrology Engineer at COBA Automotive.

Almost everybody I have worked closely with has been helpful, approachable, and generous with their time. It has been a pleasure to work with the people at COBA and I look forward to spending more time with them.

In his spare time, George is keen on travelling around the UK and across Europe in order to meet people of other cultures.

Morgan was raised in a single-parent family and faced many hardships whilst growing up. She managed to overcome these obstacles to eventually study at DeMontfort University, before joining COBA as an Apprentice.

After gaining a Masters in Photography, Morgan fell into Audio Visual engineering work, before realising that it was the health and safety, regulations, and science behind it all that really took her interest. Morgan joined COBA on an apprenticeship scheme that let her explore these areas of interest, in addition to electrical engineering and programming.

Morgan hopes to become fully trained and proficient in electrics and other aspects of the maintenance role, eventually taking over management, should the opportunity arise.

So far, my time at COBA has been life changing. I came into the job in December after a family loss and the people I work with have brightened my life. My managers are all very nice, and I have found a lot of self confidence working on the shop floor.