Callum Dunn - Trainee Supervisor - Higher Apprenticeship programme

As a Higher Apprenticeship trainee I have been able to take advantage of opportunities that many job roles do not offer. I have been able to travel to several different sites and quarries all across the country to see how their operations differ to the site I am based at.

I have also been heavily involved with the quarrying operations, this includes running the primary crusher and washing plant. I have also had the opportunity to drive the quarry vehicles like dump trucks, excavators and loading shovels. 

Over the course of the program I have been given more and more responsibility as I have developed. One of the first responsibilities I was trusted with was the weighbridge. This is where any product leaving the quarry is weighed and ticketed so it can be taken away and delivered. In this role I needed to co-ordinate with Heidelberg Materials’s transport team to arrange deliveries all over the region. 

As I am based in a quarry I have had the opportunity to be involved in blasting, this is where explosives are used to break up rock so it can be extracted and crushed. Blasting requires a lot of pre planning and consideration but has been one of the most exciting part of my program so far. 

The Higher Apprenticeship program allows you to gain multiple qualifications, including the Mineral Products degree at Derby University. The degree ties in with my work on site which gives a more practical look at the topics that have been covered in the lectures. I have also been working toward the SHE 4 vocational qualification, this qualification revolves around recognising Safety, Health and Environment.

One of the best parts of the program is the other Higher Apprenticeship trainees, we all have had different experiences meaning that we all have different areas of strength, so we can help each other out if we struggle with anything.