REACH winner Sam is Siemens Healthineers' youngest and most extensively trained apprentice ever

Four years later, having completed his Level 3 Engineering Maintenance Technician studies alongside a Level 4 HNC in Engineering, Sam’s excellence in the workplace and willingness to learn had also established him as the most extensively trained apprentice in the company’s history.

To highlight the impact Sam made at Siemens, he was nominated by FIVE different members of staff for the 2026 York College REACH Awards, where he was presented with the prestigious Governors’ Prize.

Just a couple of weeks earlier, meanwhile, he had been named Engineering/Manufacturing Apprentice of the Year at the North Yorkshire Apprenticeship Awards.

His excellence has even changed perceptions at his employers in terms of considering more school leavers for apprenticeship vacancies, with one impressed colleague even commenting on how Sam resolved issues that proved beyond the capabilities of senior engineers during his training with the firm that develops, manufactures and services medical equipment for the NHS.

Recalling that scenario, the Siemens employee said: “Three highly trained and experienced engineers had given-up on the mechanical repair of an X-ray C-Arm system, yet Sam stepped in at that point and managed to mechanically disassemble the system further which ultimately led to a full system repair.”

On Sam’s desire to maximise the learning potential offered by the work-based elements of his apprenticeship, meanwhile, another one of his REACH Awards’ nominators declared: “While apprentices typically complete training on a single product area, Sam finished his apprenticeship as the most extensively trained apprentice in our organisation’s history, having become fully trained on four different products.” 

Sam demonstrated that potential from a very young age.

He tinkered around with his granddad – a former engineer - during childhood and, as a keen mountain biker, he has been carrying out his own repairs since the age of 10.

“I spent a lot of times on projects with my granddad, making stuff and taking things apart and fixing them,” he revealed. “I also love mountain biking, but quickly realised I was good at breaking bikes, so I had to get good at fixing them!

“My granddad would show me how to fix lawnmowers and electrical appliances, too, and he’d have a lot of woodwork projects on the go as well. He wouldn’t throw anything away if it could be fixed!”

That love for engineering meant Sam decided on a more practical approach to learning when he was weighing up his post-16 options after leaving Huntington School.

More than anything, he was keen “to build a good foundation of skills” and always intended to complete his Level 2 and 3 vocational diplomas.

But, having been alerted to the availability of apprenticeships by a “really good Careers Advisor” at school, who also helped him with applications, Sam grew hugely determined to pursue that pathway.

“I spent so long looking at the Government website for apprenticeship vacancies and was looking for new ones every day,” he remembered. “It was the only thing I wanted to do – to earn money while I was learning. 

“I applied for three that I was interested in and I went to an interview for this one. There were three interview stages to get through and the first was the first proper interview I had done.

“I was so nervous, but have learned since that you don’t have to be perfect and it’s more important to be yourself.”

Sam was the chosen candidate, but that anxiety he felt at the time inspired him, later in his apprenticeship, to take part in a speed interviewing session for current College students, playing the role of a Siemens interviewer to help his interviewees grow their confidence for when they found themselves in the situation for real.

“We had a set of questions that we asked them and, then, ran through what they should and shouldn’t say as answers and how to frame them in a way that employers like,” Sam explained. “Going into that kind of corporate environment for the first time can be quite scary and the speed interviewing sessions would have been a massive help to me.”

Helping people has always been important to Sam.

During his apprenticeship, he volunteered to clear an overgrown nursing home garden and, knowing that he would be fixing machinery that could save somebody’s life, was a big part of the appeal when he initially applied for the Siemens Healthineers vacancy.

“It’s nice to know you are doing something that makes a clinical difference to people,” he said. “It was definitely my favourite apprenticeship out of the three that I applied for and there’s a lot of job satisfaction from knowing somebody will be able to go on the operating table after you have fixed equipment needed for heart surgery.

“Dealing with our clients and the NHS is also a nice environment to work in.”

Fresh out of school, the first year of Sam’s apprenticeship saw him attend College as a full-time student (while spending some time learning alongside Siemens engineers during the holidays) and then on day release thereafter.

He gained a Distinction for his Level 3 Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering at the end of his second year.

Having proven himself academically, as well as in the workplace, Siemens were keen for Sam to gain a Level 4 HNC qualification, while continuing with his apprenticeship studies – a challenge that he was bit reticent about taking on, but one that he rose to with typical tenacity and the support of his York College tutors and employers.

“It was hard work but rewarding,” he admitted. “My first thought was I’m not sure I can do that, but I had some really good tutors that helped me through the HNC. 

“James Absolom was amazing for me. I don’t know if I could have got through it without him and James Gregory was really good, too. My managers at work were also really understanding and supportive.”

Highlighting the new horizons an apprenticeship can open up for young people, Sam regularly travelled overseas to received tuition on machinery in Siemens’ training centre, close to Nuremburg.

“Germany is an amazing country for engineering and, at 18, I wanted to make the most of any opportunity that was given me,” Sam enthused. “The training place is in Erlangen and it’s like Siemens City there.  Everybody either works for the company or has something to do with them.”

Along with the technical engineering skills he has acquired, though, Sam believes learning how to communicate better in an adult environment was just as important in terms of his value to the company and any workforce.

“You obviously learn all the practical side of things, your modules of work and problem-solving skills and a lot of health and safety but, one of the main things I gained, was probably the interpersonal skills in terms of how to speak to customers,” he reasoned. “I wasn’t massively confident going into a workplace for the first time and speaking to engineers or a radiographer who’s system was broken, but I learned how to communicate with people and explain things. 

“For a lot of the job, you have to be comfortable in front of people and those are transferable skills for a lot of occupations.”

Sam was also thankful to the grounding he received in College before he entered the workplace on a more regular basis and continued to appreciate how his classroom learning complemented his days with Siemens.

“College was where I first gained knowledge,” he declared. “We learned all about governance principles during that first year at College and I was then able to go into the workplace from the first day and apply that knowledge.  

“That helps you get your head around how things are done more quickly. College also helped me become able to manage my time and workload, which has been hugely important over the four years. I worked on that a lot and, towards the end, felt I’d figured it out.”

He feels, too, that the equipment in College’s engineering workshops closely mirrors that used in the industry.

“The course leaves no stone unturned,” he asserted. “All the pneumatic rigging and hoses are great and the PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) programming is just the same as it is in the workplace.

“It’s also helpful doing all the CAD (Computer-Aided Design) stuff and, with the equipment, you don’t feel there’s a learning gap between College and work.” 

Having completed his training, Sam is now employed as a Customer Service Engineer by Siemens Healthineers and is looking forward to continued progression with the company.

“Firstly, I’d like to build up my skills as an engineer and do more travelling,” he said. “Then, after that, I’m interested in project management.

“I also like the design elements of engineering. There are quite a few options with Siemens and I’d like to do some work abroad, too. That’s a bit easier when you have the transferable skills and qualifications that this industry is giving me.”

To learn more about our Level 3 Engineering Maintenance Technician apprenticeship, click here

For more information on our HNC in Engineering, visit here

A full list of our current Apprenticeship vacancies, can be found here

Want to discuss any of our degree, higher-level, vocational, T Level, A Level & Mix and adult courses or apprenticeships with our expert team of tutors and check out our state-of-the-art facilities? Then, please come along to our next Open Event. An overview of what to expect and upcoming dates is included here