A good apprenticeship is about more than learning to operate individual machines. At stainlesstec, apprentices see how CAD data, material, production planning and craft skill come together into a finished part – from the first drawing through laser cutting, bending and welding to surface finishing and assembly.
And this is not monotonous mass production but bespoke work, small batches and new technical tasks again and again.
Metal manufacturing · CNC technology · welding · assemblies · modern production processes
Not just watching. Understanding.
At the start of an apprenticeship much is new: machines, materials, drawings, measuring equipment and processes all have to be understood first. Our aim is therefore not to park apprentices at one workstation as quickly as possible. We want them to understand:
What is this part meant to become?
Why is it made in this order?
What effect does one operation have on the next?
How do you recognise a good result?
Understanding the whole process means making better decisions later.
From sheet to part
A typical order at stainlesstec can pass through many stations:
Read the drawing – take in dimensions, material, tolerances and requirements.
Prepare the material – get to know materials and handle them correctly.
Make it – learn laser cutting, punching, bending and other operations.
Join it – put parts together and understand welding.
Finish the surface – learn grinding, finishing and quality requirements.
Inspect – measure, judge and check that the part meets the requirement.
Individual tasks thus become an understanding of modern metal manufacturing as a whole.
Working with modern production technology
stainlesstec combines craft skill with modern technology, and apprentices get to see a range of processes, for instance:
laser cutting
laser punching
CNC bending
welding
3D laser welding
straightening and forming
surface finishing
assembly work
Which areas form part of a given apprenticeship depends on the trade and on how far the apprentice has progressed. The aim stays the same: not just operating the technology but understanding it. There is an overview of the equipment under Machinery.
Getting to know stainless steel and aluminium
Materials behave differently. Stainless steel reacts differently from aluminium when bent and welded. Thickness, surface condition and grade all affect the work as well. Over the course of an apprenticeship, a feel for this builds up:
how materials respond to being worked
why certain radii are necessary
why heat matters in welding
how delicate surfaces are handled
why cleanliness matters on the shop floor
That understanding of materials cannot be learned from textbooks alone. It comes from practice.
Learning from experienced specialists
stainlesstec employs many experienced people, and we want that knowledge passed on. Apprentices therefore work alongside colleagues who have built up years of practical experience in production, welding and machining.
And this is not only about how something is done. Just as important is the question: why do we do it exactly this way? Because hard-won knowledge often shows in details that appear on no drawing. Our specialists
More responsibility, step by step
An apprenticeship means learning. But learning works best when you are increasingly allowed to apply what you have learned yourself. Responsibility should therefore grow with experience:
understand
do it under supervision
work independently
check your own results
A simple practice piece thus gives way, step by step, to real production work.
Variety instead of the same part over and over
stainlesstec specialises in bespoke work and smaller quantities, which means different parts all the time: a stainless steel enclosure today, perhaps, a welded assembly tomorrow, then a hopper, a sieve frame or a component for a production plant.
Anyone who enjoys technical work and wants to know what lies behind a design will find plenty of variety here. Components & process equipment
Precision is part of it
In metal manufacturing, a few millimetres can decide whether an assembly fits or not. Apprentices therefore also learn:
to read technical drawings
to transfer dimensions correctly
to use measuring equipment
to understand tolerances
to check their own work
Quality is not created at a final inspection. It starts with your own operation.
Mistakes are part of learning
Nobody learning something new gets everything right at once. What matters is recognising mistakes and working out:
What happened?
Why did it happen?
How can it be done better next time?
On the shop floor in particular, that is how experience builds over the years. An apprenticeship therefore does not mean avoiding mistakes by never being allowed to do anything yourself. It means learning responsibility under supervision.
Manufacturing is teamwork
Hardly any complex part is made at a single workstation. Production planning, machine operation, welding, surface finishing and assembly all have to work together.
Apprentices therefore also learn to pass information on and to ask questions in good time. Because good manufacturing is teamwork.
Who we are looking for
Nobody needs to know it all already to start a technical apprenticeship here. What matters more is:
an interest in engineering
practical ability
careful work
reliability
a willingness to learn
an interest in machines and materials
enjoying making things
openness to working with others
Mathematics and technical understanding help – but wanting to know how things work matters more.
What makes an apprenticeship here different
Real parts
You do not only work on practice pieces: step by step you learn on real production work.
Varied projects
Bespoke work and small batches make for variety – hardly any two orders are alike.
Modern equipment
You get to know traditional metalwork as well as CNC and laser technology.
Experienced colleagues
Knowledge is passed on right there on the shop floor, not only in the classroom.
Visible results
At the end of a working day there is often something real standing in front of you.
From apprentice to specialist
An apprenticeship is the way in. The real professional development begins afterwards. As experience grows, different specialisms can open up depending on your interests:
CNC manufacturing
welding
production planning
surface finishing
assembly
quality
Anyone who develops their technical skill and takes on responsibility can become a specialist in their field here over time. Working at stainlesstec
A day as an apprentice
No two days are the same – but a typical one runs roughly like this:
07:00 – going through the job: understanding the drawing, the material and the task.
08:00 – getting ready: bringing out the material, setting up the machine or the workstation.
10:00 – making the part: under supervision, and increasingly on your own as experience grows.
13:00 – the next stage: learning bending, welding, finishing or assembly.
15:00 – checking the result: measuring, judging, recording.
Which trades we are currently offering is listed under vacancies, with the start date, the work involved and who to contact.
If nothing is advertised just now, it is still worth asking: we will tell you which places are planned next. Work experience can also be the best way in – if you are not yet sure whether a technical trade suits you, it lets you see the shop floor, the machines and the working day at first hand. Get in touch
What should your application include?
To keep things simple, we do not need much:
a short application or covering letter
a CV
your most recent school report
details of any work experience or technical interests, if you like
A perfect application pack is not the point. We want to know who you are and why you want to learn a technical trade.
Understand the engineering. Build the skill.
If you enjoy practical work, find modern technology interesting and want to see at the end what you have made yourself, we would like to meet you.
Send us your drawing or CAD data by email – together with material, batch size and your requirements. We will come back to you with a sound assessment.
