Colin Williams, 28, joined Hoppecke Industrial Batteries four years ago as a battery builder working in the warehouse.

But he wanted to go further, so he asked for some in-house training with the aim of becoming an on-the-road service engineer repairing batteries and fork lift chargers on site.

Working with his mentor Tony Robinshaw, Colin is now doing an apprenticeship in battery engineering – and he's loving it.

"It's more technical than being a battery fitter," he says, "and it's something I wanted to do since I started working here. But I was keen to start off from the beginning, work my way up and understand how it all works."

Colin adds: "Tony used to be a service engineer himself and has over 25 years' experience so he knows everything that's involved."

Ultimately, Colin could follow in Tony's footsteps and become a service manager – but he says it won't be for several years yet so we reckon Tony's job is safe!