Not everyone lives close enough to travel into the Tech Hub daily, so there’s a residential option for those who need it.
With everyone staying close by the Tech Hub, you’ll find yourself surrounded by dozens of like-minded people in the same situation as you.
Everyone by your side has chosen a career in engineering, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you make life-long friends.
All of our apprentices agree it’s one of the most exciting and positive experiences they’ve known.
Many of our apprentices feel it’s the first time they’ve found their people.
Make UK works with hundreds of companies large and small from across the country, and you’ll learn with a diverse community of apprentices coming from different employers in different industries.
What does a day at the Tech Hub actually look like?
No day at the Tech Hub is the same for everyone, but there’s a general pattern that you’ll follow.
The majority of your time will be spent learning and practising new skills.
You'll be in the workshops perfecting your welding abilities, grappling with the key parts of electrical circuits, and putting CNC machines and robotic and pneumatic systems through their paces.
When the day is done, you’ll head home or take the bus to the hotel if you’re making the most of our residential option.
Morning
You’re in by 7.30am with your PPE on by 7.45am and straight into your section. Class starts at 8am with a tutor demo, then it’s hands-on training for a couple of hours. You’ll get a short break at 10.30am, then back to it with a debrief to make sure the theory sticks.
Lunch
At 12.30pm you’ll catch up with your apprentice colleagues over lunch in the cafeteria.
Afternoon
You’ll get back to it at 2pm with a theory session that supports the morning’s practical work, maybe health and safety or engineering maths. Then another short break at 2.45pm, and it’s home time at 4.30pm.
FAQs
Companies from across the country send apprentices to us, so you don’t need to live close enough to travel in daily.
Apprentices who need our residential options stay in a hotel about 15 minutes’ drive from the Tech Hub.
There’s a bus that runs between the Tech Hub and the hotel at the beginning and the end of the day, so you don’t need to worry about getting around.
Moving away from home for the first time is a big deal, especially if you’re only 16.
But all the apprentices we speak to say the same thing. It stopped being scary far quicker than they expected.
You’ll be staying in a hotel with other people in your situation, and you’ll soon start to enjoy the sense of independence.
Megan – one of our apprentices who joined straight from school at 16 – said she started looking forward to being at the Tech Hub more than going home.
Your safety is our top priority. We’re here to look after you, and make sure you know where to go if you ever have concerns about your safety, or the safety of someone else.
There are wellbeing officers on site every day, so there’s always someone close by to help if something’s wrong.
Learn more about our safeguarding commitment.
There may be times when it feels overwhelming and you just need a friendly face to talk to.
You’ll quickly get to know the tutors you work with every day, and they’re always available to discuss any worries you have.
We’ve also got a wellbeing team who you can drop in to see at any time. And you’ll have someone – we call them a Training Development Adviser – who checks in with you through your apprenticeship, both in the workplace and at the Tech Hub.
If something isn't right with your work, with how you’re being treated or with anything else, there's always someone to talk to.
Find out more about the people you'll meet at the Tech Hub, including our safeguarding team.
Everyone you meet here has chosen engineering as a career, so you’re all on the same page from day one.
You'll be training alongside apprentices from dozens of different employers and industries, including automotive, aerospace, defence, food and drink, and more.
Everyone is of different backgrounds, different ages and different starting points, but you’ve all got the same goal.
Beth Walker spent years feeling like she would never quite fit anywhere until she discovered a passion for engineering in the swimming pool plant room where she worked.
Beth said: “I’ve had multiple jobs and I never felt like I fit. Then I was tumbling through clay at 3am on my shift and I just thought, ‘I’ve never felt like this anywhere else.’ It doesn't really matter who’s there. It matters where you are and what you want to do.”
Read more about Beth’s story and other apprentices here.
If you ever feel like you don’t fit in, we take it seriously. There’s more on how we support you below.
It won’t cost you anything.
All the costs of the accommodation will be paid by your employer, so that’s one less thing to worry about!
At college, engineering is just one course, and you could be rubbing shoulders with people studying everything from French and geography to media and business studies.
At the Tech Hub, everyone in the building chose to study engineering.
That gives everyone a shared purpose and passion. You’ll be part of a community where everyone talks the same language and works together towards common goals.
Want to find out more?
You can read more about the people who've been through it.
Or if you’re ready to take the next step, find out how to apply.