At Alpha Manufacturing, welcoming new apprentices is always a highlight, and this year, the team is excited to welcome Doug Hughes. Over the next three years, Doug will work towards his Level 3 Engineering and Manufacturing Support Technician Apprenticeship, gaining hands-on experience and learning the ropes of the business.
Doug recently finished his BTECs in Business and Sport, but it didn’t take long for him to realise that university wasn’t the right fit. During his time in sixth form, he discovered a passion for business, which led him down a slightly different path—a fully office-based apprenticeship in engineering sales.
Starting from scratch in engineering as a Trainee Internal Sales Engineer, Doug will be responsible for preparing everything before a sale takes place, including processes such as checking the feasibility of a customer’s product design, costing, liaising with suppliers and customers regarding requirements and quoting.
Additionally, Doug will take on the duties of post-sales preparation before production takes place, ensuring all relevant sectors of the business have been communicated with the correct information and are ready for our APQP process (Advanced Process Quality Planning).
Just three weeks into the role, we caught up with Doug to see how he’s settling into life at Alpha Manufacturing:
“It’s been a big jump from school, but I’m enjoying my time here. The engineering world is entirely new to me, so there’s a lot to learn, but the team has been great at helping me get to grips with everything. No matter my questions—big or small—someone’s always there to help.
I’ve been learning the basics of engineering sales, doing off-the-job learning at Stafford College, and learning in the apprenticeship classroom with other apprentices. It’s been varied, which I love.
Seeing how successful previous apprentices have been here is exciting and makes me look forward to what the future holds for me!”
Outside of work, Doug loves his sports. He is a big cricket and football fan, both spectating and playing!
