[00:00:00] Nadiyah: Hi everyone, and welcome to another CareerCon at hundo. This month, we're going to be diving into the automotive industry, and I'm Nadiyah, Head of Marketing at hundo, and I've got the wonderful Faye, who is going to be here talking about her journey as an apprentice in the automotive industry, and more about, um, what it's like Her journey, her role, and just being a woman in the industry.

So Faye, could you introduce yourself?  

[00:00:34] Faye: Hello there! Um, I'm Faye Cook. I, um, I work at Xtrac. I'm a CNC turner. You could call me a machinist. And, um, I've been here five years. I finished my apprenticeship, uh, a year and a bit ago now.  

[00:00:50] Nadiyah: Well, welcome Faye. Thank you for taking the time to speak to us today. Um, so how did you get started in the automotive industry?

And how was your apprenticeship journey? And how has this benefited you?  

[00:01:02] Faye: Well, I would say I knew sort of coming from school that, um, the academic environment it never, it wasn't a road I wanted to continue on. So, and I knew that I wanted to do something hands on and practical. So, and I, I always enjoyed tinkering around with things.

So I, and I wanted to be. I was keen to be part of the working environment, so I wanted to get out there and, and I thought an apprenticeship would be a good road to go. So, um, I finished my GCSEs and I had no experience of engineering at all. So, um, when I started Xtrac, they, they send you on this factory tour to, to be able to show you the whole, you can get a whole understanding of the bigger picture and how it feeds into the final product.

And, um, yeah, I certainly was chucked in at the deep end, but I think, um, I think that's how you learn and crikey. And, um, but you sort of, you grasp it with both hands and go for it. So, yeah. I enjoyed the challenge. So, and through the trainers, they're so capable and they're, they take the time with you that you can grow your basic fundamentals that you started to develop.

It just, you can go through, start interacting with the team and, and you, you grow in a mutual respect for everyone in this working environment. That is you, I don't know, it's completely different from when you started at school. So it's um, it really sort of grew my communication and, and teamwork and, and, and interacting with people from like all backgrounds cause, um, it was good and it was just so everyone was so enthusiastic.

So it rubs off on you and you so you're, um, so inexperienced, but you're, you're so eager, so it was just a good mix, so, and I So you get a practical side going around the factory and then we add one day a week college doing a day release to get our like job reports up together and learning the Theoretical side of things so it it did it opened your eyes to the other side of things So you do get this whole round view That you can then you're building your sort of knowledge to be able to sort of when you get a problem You think oh, you can work it out.

You've you've got the knowledge there so and and progressing on I managed to do my so I came in doing a level three b tech and um, luckily the company supported me and i've managed to go through to do my hnc hnd and i'm currently doing my bachelor's in mechanical engineering Congratulations. Thank you.

[00:03:47] Nadiyah: That's so interesting. Yeah. Cause I feel like obviously it's very hands on, um, industry where you need to get the experience you need to learn the technical side and everything. So obviously doing an apprenticeship, you can get all of that. And that's really interesting. You've got a tour. Yeah. Because obviously not many jobs you get to obviously try out different things.

So that's interesting. So what, what are the different places that you can visit? So the tour?  

[00:04:13] Faye: Well, so it's all, so we go and see, we spend a bit of the time. Um, you spend a bit of time in the office, in the design office from, so where the, where the gear boxes. Um, we're a gearbox company if I didn't say that we make transmission so sorry, um But yeah So so you get you what see where the building blocks are and you find out And then you go and you work out on the cabin things and then you can go Go down into the machine shop and we're turning milling grinding and then we um do um gear cutting as well So that's shaping bevels hobbing And I suppose cap grinding is more grind and specialized, but, um, so you get a, you see everything, you know, so, and, uh, and you've got heat treatment, um, inspection and then up in build shop.

So you, you, you sort of have a look to see how the gearbox has been designed and right to the end of. Actually making the gearboxes, you know, and um, there's so many different gearboxes. It's fabulous. It's like a giant Meccano set.  

[00:05:19] Nadiyah: That's so cool. That sounds so interesting. And you're obviously dialing in from the workshop itself in your, in your,  

[00:05:26] Faye: And that's really  

[00:05:27] Nadiyah: cool.

[00:05:28] Faye: Yeah. We all, uh, yeah, manual lathe behind us.  

[00:05:32] Nadiyah: That's cool. I have to say you're, you've got the best background of all our speakers that we've had so far. So obviously when we had our first conversation, you, you told me how you're neurodiverse. So someone who's neurodiverse, what strengths and challenges have you faced and how has the industry supported you?

Um,  

[00:05:53] Faye: I think coming into the industry, I couldn't believe how I was surrounded by such like minded people, but in the same breath, how people's brain, everyone's so different. Everyone's brains are wired so differently and they will think differently. So it gives you another challenge. Oh, I haven't thought of that, but it, but they also take on your sort of, um, what you've put forward and it's a good sort of Like communal sort of joint effort and everyone talks to each other.

It's a it's a collaboration of ideas So it allowed me to sort of work out things Practically because that's how I was interested. I was interested and It just allowed me to build this passion and experience it every day. It just, something clicked finally and, and being dyslexic and struggling, it's not, uh, sometimes it's not great, but it just didn't work.

I didn't do great in, uh, academically. Um, so, Yeah, so I started working and something just clicked, you know, and um, I think, um, that's partly because of the support of, of everyone around me. I've, I've got such a good team of family and friends and, and colleagues that are so supportive, but also the, the determination and drive to get you That don't let you dyslexia hold you back.

It's not something you should define It's just that makes you a bit more unique, you know And you've just got to find your way to unlock it once you're unlocked it you're away. So  

[00:07:35] Nadiyah: Yeah, definitely. And I feel like a lot of people don't realize how common it is. Yeah. And having people actually are neurodiverse and it's actually like a little superpower you have.

So it's really nice. Um, like you said, like having everyone around you and then realizing how your strengths could be someone else's strength and you just help each other out, which is really nice. That's really good. And obviously anyone that's listening, young people that are neurodiverse quite nervous about how it will impact.

Their work like there's so many examples we have and we've had so many speakers that talk about it And it's not it should never be seen as a weakness because it's not So yeah, so thank you for sharing that with us. Okay Um, what's a typical, typical day like as a CNC Turner Setter, Operator and Programmer?

And what skills are most important for you and your role?  

[00:08:26] Faye: Um, I'd say there's never a typical day or there never is. It's, it's all you come in and you, you're set for the day. You've got your, you've got your tools and that's about it really. And so there is so much variation that you, we've got of, uh, We've got eight, nine machines now, sorry, that comprise of over a single or double turret lathe.

This is CNC. We've got manual that we sort of jump on if it's needed, but we primarily run out of the CNC shop. And, um, so you could be working on little tiny diameters from like five mil up to like 275 so that could be little top hat bushes to massive final drives that go in the car. So and it's all It could be hard turn.

It could be soft turn. There's there's so many different different stages So when you when it comes to setting it's quite it's time consuming because you've got you've got to get it, right? There's there's no margin for error that we're we're in a industry where Tolerances are there for a reason and, and it's, it's, you've got to be bang on, but the perfectionist in me loves it because when, when you've, um, so you said it, it's time consuming, but it's, um, it's this sort of, um, routine you go through checking there's no, you've got to check the tools, you get, get the tools out, you got to check that you've got the right tools, the right tips, the machine is, is laid out the way that.

The programmer has laid it out and is expected to run it, um, and on the other side of the programming. You, you, you're programming the job from your experience of how it should run on the machine, but It's never that easy. There's, there's different materials, there's different profiles. It's never going to run smoothly the first time through.

It could if, if it's a similar job and, and you've got, but there's always going to be little tweaks and hiccups because there might be a hard spot in the metal. The Uber drill might be squealing like a little pig and you've got to turn the feed down a bit. You know, it's, um, it's one of them, but. It's all problem solving, and so problem solving and getting to the bottom of it, asking what and how, and um, it's, it's good, and being a perfectionist, you know, and, um, but yeah, so, and then you've got, you have got the side when you are programming, we, we run on an application where you can run the simulation to have a look to make sure nothing's going to go crash, bang, wallop, but, When it comes to setting the machine, you've gotta make sure that all the tools are to the specification that you've been given and, um, and it are running correct, but sometimes things can be misinterpreted, errors are made, so you, you've gotta double, triple check before you press that go button.

Because, once the, once the tool's running, you, you can stop it, but there might be a fair bit of damage done, you know, and there's, there's no room for error, you know, so, but. It's good and and because of our free shift patterns It's a good we have a variety of people working nights days and weekends So you sort of you'll probably set up a job in the day run that off You might set another job up and and then nights or weekends or run it off.

So you'll come you'll never stuck on the same job. It's so much variation, which is fabulous. I really like that because you're not, you never get bored and there's always something different. But at the same time, you think it's been communicating and with those, with your shift partners. And so communication and teamwork is, is a good, it must, is a key skill as well.

But I think But most importantly, at the end of the day, it's the passion and the pride that you, you put in your work that, um, just shines through.  

[00:12:18] Nadiyah: Yeah, definitely. I like the way you, it's like in my head, I was just ticking all the key skills you were saying. You went through so many of them. Yeah. And you're right.

There's so many different skills that obviously put together,  

makes  

a team and like makes everything work. And like you said, you have to be like a perfectionist when it comes to a job like this, cause obviously it has to be perfect. Especially when you're working with like machines and different tools and stuff.

In your opinion, what advice would you give young girls watching who are unsure about fitting in the automotive industry? And what are some of the common misconceptions about women working? Yeah,  

[00:12:53] Faye: um, I'd say it's okay to be unsure. I, I was ever so unsure when I started. I thought, oh crikey. In one breath I was, I was so excited, but in the other you think, oh my goodness, it's a new adventure sort of thing, or, but I had the passion for it.

So, and some practical skills that I, I wanted to build, you know, and gain that skill. So, and that is important. So, I, nothing. Should stop. Yeah, I know it's hard to say that, but, and I was so worried. Oh my goodness. I'm not going to have anyone around me. That's going to be similar. I'm going to have to struggle.

And, and I thought coming into it, Oh, I won't be doing much sort of, I thought I'd just be making cup of teas and sweeping the floors for a while, just to sort of show my commitment, you know, and, and, but, but it was crikey how I was wrong. I, I came in there, there were so many like minded people and, and, you You just, you, you had a job to get on with you.

You were given that everyone was so passionate and had similar interests, so it, it wasn't too hard to get on with anyone else. I think I've been lucky because everyone around me does support me and they, they, they push me to, to progress and, and get through. If there's been a challenging day, you know, that they're there to help.

They're not there to hinder the process, you know? So, and I think it's nice to say the increase of girls start in the apprenticeship because at the end of the day, I don't think gender should stop you. When I, when I come in at the start, I don't think about gender, you know, I just think, see everyone, how interesting they are, you know, and, and we're here to get on with a job, you know, and progress like everyone else is, you know, so.

Don't let it stop ya. It'll be apprehensive, but like anything is.  

[00:14:44] Nadiyah: Yeah, I agree. Like you said, I always say this as well, like you've come here to do a job and that's what you're here for. It shouldn't matter like where you're from, what gender or anything. You're here to just do it. As long as you do the job and you do it right, that's all that matters.

Yeah. I really liked the way you summed it up and I feel like you're going to inspire a lot of young women and young girls watching this day. Um, it'll be cool and interesting to know a bit more about the sort of jobs, um, available . Um, so it'd be cool if you could like list some jobs and just explain like a few what they do and what, what skills you need.

[00:15:18] Faye: Yeah, yeah, sure. So, I mean, so I came into the turning route of machining, but machining, there's such a wide array. We've got milling. Um, so, and then we've got, so they do, they use a, so turning is like a, um, spins round and then you've got a foot, a tool that, um, turns things cylindrically and then, um, so you've only got two axis, whereas milling, you've got to five axis and you've got a spindle that, uh, can go anywhere to form flat faces, slots, holes.

All sorts, you know, so and then you've got grinding that is a very precise They sort of that's more of a finishing sort of process where they, they polish, I say polish, they don't, they grind the, um, very tight tolerances that for the fits for things, because sometimes our turning and milling machines, the tolerances can't be met.

Sometimes you've got a silly tolerance of five microns, whereas the smallest we could get is about 10. So, and, uh, to put that into perspective, a thickness of paper is a hundred microns. So, um, so five microns is my new, you know, so, but, um, yeah, no, so you've got that and then you've got the complete sort of, so that's sort of on the shop floor.

You've got gear cutting as well, so you've got, that's machinist, sorry. So that's, that's machinist. You've got shaping, which is sort of a reciprocal cutter that goes around with a, the part. And then hobbing, um, is another gear cutting. And um, and then like I say, the other end, we've got production engineers, um, design engineers that, um, look at production engineers, see how the job can be made.

So the designers come up with this job and so they have to check that it can actually, we can actually achieve the, the, the. Um, machine like the process, you know? So, cause sometimes you get given a job and you think, wow, how, how on earth am I going to do that, you know? So it's all half of the time you can, it's just modern tools and, and working with it, you know, but this is what the production engineers do, you know?

And so, and they, they make sure everything runs smoothly and then you've got heat treat, they, um, they heat treat all the parts and, and, um, sort of, uh, Make sure everything look like masking and so protecting the threads after we've turned them. And so, um, it's a, it's a very, oh, and then build shop. So it's like, it's terrible.

You shouldn't, um, regard it as Meccano because there is a lot more skill to that. But, um, if you, if you think it's like a Meccano on steroids and, and they, and they build this, um, gearbox basically. So yeah, it's a good, it's a good variation of things.  

[00:18:24] Nadiyah: Yeah, it's such a range of different jobs and there's obviously specific tools and machinery you need for each of the different parts.

That's really cool. And you could have a job where it's just work on one machine, right? Yes. Yeah, that's really cool. Um, so what should young people expect from an automotive apprenticeship and what advice do you have for starting out? So anyone that's watching this that isn't sure, it's a bit nervous, what advice would you give them about starting out?

[00:18:51] Faye: Um, I think if it, if it's something that interests you and, and you're In a practical environment, you're quite hands on and you like, um, getting a bit dirty and you don't mind getting a bit, you're not afraid, you know, to get a bit of oil everywhere and, and, um, and yeah, and, and you're, you're always asking why and how then go for it.

I think, um, if, You, you may not enjoy every aspect, but that's the nature of jobs. You are, you are never gonna absolutely love anything. Everything. And, and if you do, you're very lucky. But there's always gonna be a, a hard day where something comes along, but that's, that's experience and it's all coming to test you and, and, and gain, build your experience, you know?

So I think just if you can. If you've got an opportunity and and you think, and you've got a, a, that passion, go for it. 'cause I think, um, I dunno going back to sort of saying, oh, I, I, when I, we started out we had to go uh, do a mechanical engineering, we did have to go through and do a bit of electrical and crikey, I take my hat off to them people 'cause I cannot get my head around it.

So you get a new, you get a newfound appreciation for people, you know, so, and that is part of it, you know, so. If you've got the passion, you think you're a bit of a perfectionist. You like the precision, the fast pace and all the variations. Because you never have a dull day. Then go for it, you know? You're going to build such strong bonds.

I've got grown this passion, you know, and getting and building this knowledge over five years. Crikey, hopefully in 10 years time, you know, building up, because you're always going to be learning and it's just great job satisfaction.  

[00:20:46] Nadiyah: No, definitely. And where do you see yourself in like five, 10 years?  

[00:20:50] Faye: Oh, crikey.

Um, hopefully a bit more because at the end of the day, you always have, um, bit, uh, sort of worried, aren't you? But hopefully a bit more confident and progressing onto, uh, different, hopefully widening my, um, sort of machinist base rather than just turning, maybe doing a bit more grinding and milling because it's good to have a, um, good.

of everything, I think.  

[00:21:18] Nadiyah: Yeah, definitely, I agree. And where do you see the future of automotive industry going and heading?  

[00:21:24] Faye: Um, I would say the future, I think everything's going to be, I think there's going to be more variation. It's, it's going to increase because we're ever looking for that, that next new challenge, aren't you?

So, and being able, I think it'd be an exciting time because there's so much progression anyway. And, and this is only the beginning, you know, so I think very interesting. I don't know what could be in store, but I'm sure there will be multiple things.  

[00:21:59] Nadiyah: Yeah, there'll probably be flying cars and stuff like that.

Yeah, yeah. We don't know. Yeah. Well, Faye, it has been lovely speaking to you today. Thank you so much for The opportunity and time spent with us today for our event, um, where could people connect with you and learn more about you, your role and Xtrac?  

[00:22:21] Faye: So we've got, uh, Xtrac. com. Um, if you have a look, um, www.Xtrac.Com. Um, have a look for extra. I hope you can see it on my top how you spell it But um, but yeah, and have a look and um, i'm sure through there. We've got multiple Pages, you can have a look what we do what we're about our our sites and um, and have a look through this I highly recommend.  

[00:22:48] Nadiyah: Yeah, definitely And if you know anyone that's watching you could be working with faye in the future Doing an apprenticeship and she could be there.

So You It was wonderful to speak to you, Faye. Thank you so much. Thank you for everyone watching our interview today. Um, this video will be available on hundo.xyz on demand, so don't worry if you've missed the whole event. We have a wonderful lineup of loads of speakers, um, for Automotive CareerCon. Um, it's been lovely speaking to you, Faye.

And, yeah, catch everything on hundo. socials. And, yeah, we hope you enjoy the rest of the event. Thanks. Bye. Thank you very much.