When you meet Ben King on the Kirkstall Precision shop floor, he doesn’t sound like someone who’s “just” an apprentice. He’s talking about cycle times, 5-axis movements and pushing a Brother machining centre to its limits while programming in Fusion.
Ben’s journey, and the work he’s doing, says a lot about why high-level apprenticeships in companies like Kirkstall are becoming one of the most powerful ways into advanced manufacturing, especially in highly regulated sectors like med-tech.
When university isn’t enough
Ben actually did what most people are still encouraged to do first: he went to university.
“I went to university during Covid and didn’t have a great experience,” he explains. “There was a lot of theory, but I didn’t get as much practical experience as I was hoping for.”
That gap between theory and practice is common. In engineering and manufacturing, apprenticeships are increasingly recognised as a way to gain real technical skills and formal qualifications without the debt that comes with a full-time degree
Ben wanted something more hands-on, to learn by doing rather than just reading. So he went to an apprenticeship fair with his step-mum, and that’s where Kirkstall Precision caught his eye.
“I looked at the products and the processes they had on the stand,” he says. “They all looked very high-end. I came for a walk-around, liked the look of the place and decided I wanted the experience of actually working whilst getting the qualification.”
That decision put him on a completely different trajectory.
Learning on live med-tech programmes
Today, Ben is a second-year CNC milling apprentice and a cell owner on one of Kirkstall’s Brother machining centres, a fast, highly agile vertical machining platform designed for complex, high-precision work.
His role goes way beyond just “pressing cycle start”.
“I program on Fusion, tool up the machine, prove out the programs and get the parts running,” he says. “We’re really trying to push cycle times down, to achieve the minimum time for the parts I’m working on.”
Those parts aren’t training exercises; they’re real components for demanding med-tech customers. As a specialist medical device manufacturer, Kirkstall produces everything from small, single-piece drills to intricate assemblies used to implant hip and spinal devices, products that have to meet tight tolerances, tough regulatory standards and stringent quality expectations.
Some of the recent work Ben’s been involved in has been among “the hardest jobs we’ve done”, with complex geometries and exceptionally tight tolerances. Getting those parts out, on time and to spec, isn’t just a tick in a training log, it’s a genuine achievement.
“To be able to make quite a few of those parts and get them to a high quality,” he says, “it’s a real sense of achievement.”
From raw billet to better outcomes
One of the big differences Ben points to between his university course and his apprenticeship is context.
At university, it was modules, credits and exams. At Kirkstall, it’s finished instruments and surgical outcomes.
“When you see an assembly built up, maybe twenty parts all coming together, you can point at them and say: I made this one, I made that one,” he says. “You start to understand what each part does, how it impacts the function of the whole, and how the surgeon will actually use it to operate on someone.”
That’s where the work moves from abstract machining data into something far more meaningful: improving someone’s mobility, reducing their pain, or helping them recover from serious surgery.
For apprentices in advanced med-tech manufacturing, that sense of purpose is huge. You’re not just learning how to machine titanium or stainless steel; you’re contributing to instruments and systems that will be used in operating theatres around the world.
A culture that lets apprentices push the limits
Ben is quick to point out that the technology is only half the story. The culture around it matters just as much.
From the start, he formed a close bond with the other apprentices, people like Cam, Martin, Isaac and Harvey. “We’re a closely knit group,” he says. “On the shop floor, it’s a great dynamic. We communicate a lot. If one of us is experimenting with something interesting on the machine, we get the others over and show them what’s going on.”
That peer-to-peer learning is matched by support from more experienced operators and programmers.
“The senior staff really respect us,” Ben explains. “They understand that we’re capable, and they leave us to do our own experimental work, but they’re there when we need them. It’s a good, fluid relationship.”
That trust is critical. It’s what allows apprentices to go beyond simply running existing programs and start optimising, testing and refining processes, exactly the kind of continuous improvement mindset that modern med-tech customers expect from their suppliers.
Investment, automation and the next generation
Ben joined Kirkstall at a time of significant investment. Now part of the Kaleidex Group, the business has continued to put money into new equipment, automation and advanced CNC platforms to increase capability and capacity for its global med-tech customers.
“Even back at my interview, they talked about investment coming into the business,” he says. “It’s been amazing to see that happen, new machines like the Brother, more automation. If they keep investing in us and the technology, we can keep increasing what we’re capable of and what we can give back.”
That “give back” theme runs through everything Ben talks about, to customers, to Kirkstall and to future apprentices.
He’s already thinking about mentoring others and helping the next wave of talent grow in the same environment he’s benefitted from.
“I’d like to stay as a cell owner on the Brother and provide as much as I can,” he says. “Kirkstall’s been great to me, and I’d like to give back to them what they’ve given to me.”
Why an apprenticeship route is worth considering
So what would Ben say to someone torn between university and an apprenticeship?
“If you want experience, if you want the qualification but don’t want to go down the traditional university route, an apprenticeship is a fantastic way to get into the industry,” he says. “For me, coming to Kirkstall has greatly benefited me and my career.”
In sectors like medical device manufacturing, where precision, reliability and traceability are non-negotiable, companies need people who can think, problem-solve and work confidently with advanced machines and digital tools on real customer programmes. Apprenticeships that combine structured learning with live production work are one of the most effective ways to build that capability.
Ben King is proof of that. In just two years he’s gone from a frustrated student to a key part of a high-end med-tech manufacturing cell, programming complex parts, optimising cycle times and playing a direct role in devices that will help patients live better, more active lives.
Not bad for “just” an apprentice.
