Staff Spotlight: Will Lewis

Meet Will Lewis; Will joined Philtronics in 2021 as part of the Network75 programme with the University of South Wales. Now halfway through the five-year course, Will splits his time between two days at university and three days here at Philtronics, and once completed, he will have a BEng (Hons) in Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

Let's learn more about Will, his role at Philtronics, and his experience with Network75. 

Q. Can you tell us what Network75 is? 

A. Essentially, it's an apprenticeship scheme, but you get a fully accredited degree at the end of the course. Many apprenticeships will do Higher National Diploma (HND) and Higher National Certificate (HNC), but then you've got to do another few years to get the full degree. With Network75, you get a full qualification in your chosen field after the entire five-year course. 

Q. What does your role involve? What does a typical day look like? 

A. For me, a typical day would usually involve running through any repairs or returns that we get from our customers. That might include fault finding, testing the equipment, and conducting a fault analysis of what went wrong and where I can then find the best solution to resolve the issue. This is the best part of my role, as I enjoy practical work and fault-finding. I find it satisfying when you’ve been given a return, and you need to work through the problem and figure out the fault, and once you do, it’s very rewarding. 

Q. What kind of important decisions do you have to make in your role? 

A. The main decision-making process I go through on a day-to-day basis is about returns and then figuring out what parts need replacing on a product. This is an essential process as I need to make sure the product meets the high standards the customer expects from Philtronics. I also work on surface mount technology (SMT) machines, where I must decide on setup procedures and processes. 

Q. Why did you apply for a role with Philtronics? 

A. When you join the Network75 programme, you're given a list of approved organisations that meet the standards for housing apprenticeships. Philtronics was one of those companies, and I knew a couple of Network75 apprentices were working at Philtronics, so I saw they had a good working relationship.

Q. What makes Philtronics a good company to work for? 

A. The atmosphere and the work are definitely right up my street as far as the electronic side, such as getting to work on circuit boards and bigger units. As I'm given more responsibility, I'm especially looking forward to working with more customers who need SMT work and larger builds and assemblies. 

Q. How have Philtronics helped you with your training? 

A. The team has been great at providing me with everything I need to know to progress and develop my skills. I'm grateful to Philtronics; I could have gone to a company and been met with the attitude: "Don't bother giving the apprentice anything important to do." When I first joined at 18, I obviously didn't know an awful lot about electronics, but Philtronics has helped walk me through every necessary step to eventually qualify at the end of my course. 

Q. Any advice for those looking to move into a similar role or career path? 

A. The main piece of advice I would give someone is you need to be open to learning new things. When I first started, I didn't know much about electronic manufacturing, but working alongside the Philtronics team has helped develop my knowledge. You'll never be completely done learning within this industry as there are always new machines, processes and products, so there is always room to expand your knowledge and develop. The jump I've made in the last two and a half years is massive. It can be challenging at first, being both young and new to the industry world, but my advice would be don't be scared of learning and trying new things; it's great fun!

If you've enjoyed hearing about Will's journey with Philtronics and Network75, read more Staff Spotlights and find out more about Will's role, responsibilities and advice for other young people below: