Ross Davidson

Ross has always been practically minded since a child so it wasn’t a surprise to him that he opted for a career in engineering.

He said: “My dad was always taking me out to fix cars and motorbikes when I was younger – so I inherited an interest at a young age for understanding how things work.”

Ross never really considered an apprenticeship when he was at school.

He explains: “In my mind I was going straight to university so that’s what I did. I got a place at the University of Aberdeen to study the Chemical Engineering degree. I completed 2 years but with most of it being theory it just wasn’t for me. There was a lot I enjoyed about the course though, especially the CAD and CNC machines, and this has come in handy in the workplace.

“So I had a rethink and chose to go to College and get back to a more practical course. I completed the Performing Engineering Operations courses in Manufacturing and then I was offered a CNC manufacturing apprenticeship with Baker Hughes.”

Just as Ross was starting the final part of his apprenticeship programme, the work-based the SVQ Level 3 qualification, Covid arrived and with it lots of restrictions. All assessor communication was limited to online meetings. Ross managed the challenges of this however in September 2021 Baker Hughes announced that they would be closing down the manufacturing workshop. Ross luckily secured a new position where he could continue and complete his apprenticeship with Continental Alloys.

Ross said “I enjoyed my time at Baker Hughes. It was disappointing and sad to go through redundancy process but Continental Alloys has similar manufacturing processes and machines so the transition hasn’t been too bad and I’m really pleased that I have been able to complete my apprenticeship.”

Ross was the recipient of the Special Recognition Award at the 2023 Modern Apprenticeship Awards.