Apprenticeship Success at GlaxoSmithKline

 

 

 

GlaxoSmithKline has participated in College Coop and University internship programs, but indenturing an Industrial Maintenance Mechanic/Millwright was a new venture for this Mississauga company.

GlaxoSmithKline INC. (GSK) - one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies - employs more than 1,800 people across the country who work to discover, develop, manufacture and market innovative medicines in Canada.

The company is headquartered in Mississauga with regional offices in Montreal, Halifax, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver. Committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer, GSK invests more than $100 million annually in Canadian research and development and is one of the country's top 10 corporate charitable donors.

GSK is involved in many therapeutic areas, such as:

  • Respiratory diseases (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD, respiratory infections, allergies)
  • Diabetes
  • Depression
  • Migraines
  • Infectious diseases (HIV/AIDS)
  • Vaccines (Hepatitis A and B)

In addition to being a leader in R & D, GSK has extensive manufacturing capabilities in Canada. The company produces more than 100 medicines and 20 million units annually in its $120 million, state-of-the-art product development and manufacturing facility located in Mississauga, ON adjacent to the Canadian headquarters. More information is available on their website at www.gsk.ca.

The pharmaceuticals are manufactured and packaged on state-of-the-art production lines. Equipment on the line frequently requires adjustment, repair or customization depending on the product line. As always in a production setting, time is critical; there are always production deadlines to meet in a very competitive environment.

Under the supervision of journeypersons Ken Hamblin and Allan Riddell, apprentice David Knox is beginning to acquire the skills necessary to solve problems and create the solutions needed to keep the equipment repaired, adjusted or customized. Ken estimates that their small team works on @ 250 projects per year, using in-house ingenuity to design and machine operating parts and specialized equipment, leading to considerable overall cost savings to GSK.

Shannon Meijer, Human Resources Manager with GSK, posted their vacancy for an apprentice IMM/Millwright on www.apprenticesearch.com and was pleased to have a number of quality applicants to interview. During the selection process GSK looked for the following qualities in applicants:

  • Strong interest and aptitude in mechanical matters
  • Interest in knowing how things worked
  • Loyalty and a desire to work in the industry

For David Knox, who graduated from a pre-apprenticeship program at The Centre and posted a personal profile on the apprenticesearch website, connecting with GSK has opened the door to his desire to complete an apprenticeship in a skilled trade. David's grandfather was a Millwright with National Steel Car, and he has long had the desire to explore this trade. Although he completed a coop placement (in sales) in high school, David has always liked to take things apart and figure out how things work. Initially employed with a different firm in shipping and receiving, the job did not seem to be sufficiently challenging or quite the right fit.

David now feels he is going in the right direction, and has benefited enormously from the teaching skills of Maintenance Specialist Ken Hamblin, who is also a master mechanic of small engine repair, and from in-class training David receives in weekly day-release classes at Sheridan College. His advice for students/youth wondering about their futures:

  • Keep an open mind about potential careers
  • Consider all your options especially in the skilled trades
  • Make a commitment to work hard and apply yourself at whatever you do