Robinson Brothers’ Pilot Plant Technician wins Black Country Chamber of Commerce Young Apprentice of the Year

Robinson Brothers is pleased to announce that Jamie Wilkes, Pilot Plant Technician, has been awarded Young Apprentice of the Year as part of the prestigious Black Country Chamber of Commerce Awards 2019.

Jamie was very passionate about chemistry since the first day he joined Robinson Brothers as an Apprentice Laboratory Technician. He took on this role with confidence and enthusiasm, and from initially observing and assisting the Research Chemists, he soon went on to carrying out reactions independently. Jamie then became a R&D Pilot Plant Technician within two years. This internal promotion was as a result of Jamie’s ambition to be involved in more hands-on chemistry. Jamie is now assisting the R&D Pilot Plant Manager in the scale-up of new products from small laboratory scale to 100 kg scale. In addition to his day to day role, Jamie is a Safety Representative. Jamie is responsible for making his seven colleagues aware of safety initiatives to ensure safety in the workplace, representing their safety concerns, taking immediate action when an issue arises and completing safety checks in the plant. Processing safely is of the utmost importance at Robinson Brothers.

Jamie continues to studying part time at the University of Wolverhampton, working towards his BSc in Chemistry. “I have been helped along my career path by many people over the years at Robinson Brothers, particularly my managers and peers in research. I am grateful for the opportunity. I wish to continue to learn and grow, and hope to be a beacon of hope to young students that nothing is set in stone; if you truly want something, anything is possible with enough hard work”, said Jamie Wilkes.

As the company continues to grow, Robinson Brothers continues to build the workforce of tomorrow by providing industrial placement education programs. Industrial placements offer a unique insight into STEM careers. Robinson Brothers facilitates Industrial Placement Schemes for Undergraduate Chemists, through working partnerships with the University of Birmingham, University of Wolverhampton and Aston University. Alongside this, Robinson Brothers continues to support Apprenticeship Schemes to train young professionals within their Engineering and Science divisions to develop the next generation of workers.