Young engineering apprentices aged from 14 to 16 took time out of their classroom at Whitby Community College to visit coach company Plaxton Limited, the National Railway Museum and Scarborough’s lifeboat and marina as part of their educational study visits.

The visits were designed to give them a chance to bring learning to life by looking at real life engineering examples of buses, trains and boats and comparing the different manufacturing materials and processes used.

Student Chase Lund (15) said: “I particularly enjoyed looking around the lifeboat and yachts to see how fibre glass is used as part of the boat production process instead of using wood and metal.”

As part of their two-year programme, the apprentices will gain valuable experience on work placements with a number of employers.

Following positive feedback from the apprentices, more educational trips are planned in the future including a visit to steel manufacturers Corus Teesside Cast Products and Slingsby Advanced Composites Limited, manufacturers of marine and aviation structures.

If any companies are interested in the Young Apprenticeship Programme and could offer work placements, they are asked contact Debbie Williams, the College’s Young Apprenticeship Co-ordinator, on (01723) 356122.