Release date: 6th April 2016
Manufacturing apprentice on track for
global achievement
A Midlands manufacturing apprentice has set himself the ambitious goal to become the youngest ever Chartered Management Accountant in the world by the time he reaches the age of 22.
Twenty-year-old Tom Meredith may have only joined design engineering expert MarchantCain as an apprentice in December 2013, after dropping out of his A-Level qualifications, but already he has been appointed to the role of Finance and Purchasing Manager and has ambitious plans to complete his CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) training before he reaches the age of 22. In order to become the youngest ever Chartered Management Accountant in the world, it is understood that Tom needs to complete his training with at least three years’ experience working in an accountancy role for a professional business, something which he will have experienced with MarchantCain by the time he reaches his 22nd birthday.
Director of MarchantCain, Pamela Cain, is in no doubt that Tom will reach his ambitious goal, and has been considerably impressed with his development since he joined the company as a quiet teenager three years ago.
She commented: “Tom’s contributions to MarchantCain have been invaluable and he’s a great example of the benefit that apprentices bring to the UK manufacturing sector. Within just six months of joining us Tom took on full responsibility of our bookkeeping, accounting and purchasing and has continued to develop his knowledge of such tasks since. He is a constant learner and has been undertaking self-directed learning towards his CIMA qualification for the past 18 months. He also makes an effort to keep up with everything in the business so he can understand the processes and procedures that a busy engineering design business has to have in place.”
Already Tom has cemented his role at MarchantCain, a business which recently expanded its operations to Germany. He was influential in his recent role overseeing the purchase and implementation of the company’s new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, and helping to aid adoption throughout the company. The project has enabled MarchantCain to strengthen its partnership with Jaguar Land Rover, and scale up production to accommodate increases in volume.
Tom’s achievements are an important indication of the benefit of apprenticeships to UK businesses struggling to fill skilled vacancies at a time when the Confederation for British Industry has reported that 39% of employers are now struggling to recruit workers, with the manufacturing, and engineering sectors being particularly hard hit. Just recently, the Skills Funding Agency publicly acknowledged that apprentices increase business productivity by an average of £214 per week in the UK alone.
Tom Meredith commented: “I was never really what you would call a classroom learner. When I started A-levels I didn’t know what I wanted to do as a career and was desperate to get out into industry and experience what working life is really all about. MarchantCain has given me this life experience and fully supported my career goals, and as a small company has given me opportunities that I would not have been granted elsewhere. I have found a career I really enjoy that I probably wouldn’t have had if I had just gone to university. The on-the-job learning route through finance means I have also gained a few years on those who have gone to university, and I have no debt. As well as being on track to become the world’s youngest ever Chartered Accountant, I’m also learning more and more about the manufacturing industry in a real world setting and how the global economy impacts on the sector. ”
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About MarchantCain
MarchantCain is a specialist design and development company based in Coventry, with facilities for prototype and low volume manufacturing. The company thrives on providing innovative solutions for a range of automotive challenges, specialising in aerodynamics, door and window mechatronics including glass technology and choreography.
For more information, contact Denise Taylor at Bridge on 02476520025, or email denise@bridgepr.co.uk.
Alternatively, contact Pam Cain on 02476100321 or email pam@MarchantCain.co.uk