We are absolutely delighted to congratulate Kevin Hopkinson (Engineering Tutor) on reaching an incredible milestone—50 years in the Engineering industry!

 

One of our engineering work-based tutors, Kevin Hopkinson, began his career at Mather & Platt Limited in 1974 as an apprentice mechanical engineer. He had no desire to be an unskilled labourer at a factory. His salary was £14 per week!

Following the completion of his three and a half years as an apprentice, Kevin made the decision to work for himself, taking on jobs with businesses in the fields of hydraulics, textiles, paper manufacturing, chemicals, civil engineering, and vehicle conversion. Instead of spending his days by a lathe, Kevin wished to apply the abilities he had gained during his apprenticeship.

Kevin received an offer to join the Greater Manchester Police Force as a constable when he was working for himself. After three years of employment at GMP, he returned to being self-employed because there were little opportunities for advancement.

His employment with Crime Prevention Ltd. in Bolton began in 1991, when he installed security doors and barriers. This position began as a few months of assistance to a buddy and has now lasted for three years! In 1994, he relocated to Melba Products.

Following three years at Melba Products, Kevin was hired by J D Williams for a six-week contract to renovate conveying systems. This six-week agreement resulted in a weekend shift work that ran from Friday to Monday. He was promoted to assistant team leader for the weekend shift in 2006 and subsequently to team leader again in 2015. Kevin worked with seven apprentices at J D Williams (three school dropouts and four adults), who he mentored up to the NVQ 3 level. He quit in 2019 because of a continental relocation (to Panama), which threw off his body clock! Family life has begun to be impacted by this as well.

Kevin made the decision to return to working for himself for the third time, this time at Park Cakes in Bolton. He liked the diversity of his work and the occasional piece of cake. As a Team Leader on the Engineering shift, the contract at Park Cakes ended, and a new one began at Hollands Pies. A shop fire prevented any complimentary pies from being provided. Before going on to Volz Filters, where he was hired permanently, he spent the first six months mentoring two apprentices and teaching them how to perform their responsibilities safely and effectively.

He was able to enjoy his evenings riding, swimming, and spending time with his family because he worked a daily schedule rather than a shift at Volz Filters. He left to become a teacher at Alliance Learning because of the frequent weekend callouts and his desire to make a change.

He is enjoying working at Alliance Learning, as it is allowing him to pass on his knowledge, skills, and behaviours onto future engineers. Throughout his career Kevin has undertaken 13 national recognised qualifications, which have helped him to be successful in his career.

Kevin offers the following advice to all of our existing apprentices and to anyone considering beginning one: "I would highly advise for you to continue studying at any given opportunity in your career."

Congratulations from #TeamAlliance, Kevin.