Seta Stories - Lauren Emmerson

Meet Lauren!

Lauren began her Machining Technician Level 3 Apprenticeship in 2021. She spent the first nine months training at Seta, before progressing with her apprenticeship at her employer Expert Technologies Group, which has a site at Houghton-le-Spring, along with many others around the world.

A leading innovator of intelligent technology solutions, Expert Technologies Group works in sectors such as automotive and aerospace, and Seta has been training its apprentices for many years.

Lauren has now completed her four-year apprenticeship and is staying on at Expert Technologies Group as a CNC Machinist, and she’s also studying for an HNC in mechanical engineering.

So what’s Lauren’s story?

Let’s find out!

Why did you want to become an engineer?

In my family I was surrounded by engineers, so that sparked my interest in engineering – it’s a family tradition!

What did you learn in your first nine months at Seta?

I started off by doing health and safety training and was taught how to be safe around the machines and when working with the tools.

I then learned the basics of bench fitting and then worked my way up to being trained to use milling, turning and CNC machines, and was taught how to code on CNC machines too. It was a great introduction to engineering.

Tell us about your experience of working at Expert Technologies Group

At first, I learned how to set up the machines, but then I progressed to programming and operating the machines.

No two days are the same, and there are lots of different milling and turning tasks throughout each week. 

I enjoy machining and I like the challenge of this kind of work, it’s very hands-on and you feel great when you have made something!

What would you advise any young person who was considering a career in engineering?

The best thing to do is an apprenticeship. You’ll be paid while you learn and you’ll get hands-on experience before you even go to your employer’s workplace!

How does a Seta apprenticeship compare to the experience of learning at college?

When I went to college, the learning was more theory-based. There was some hands-on learning but it was more based on engineering as a whole, while at Seta the training is more specific to a certain engineering role, and you are doing something practical every day, which really helps. 

Find out how you can start your story with a Seta apprenticeship here.

View our current apprenticeship vacancies.

Interested in a Machining Apprenticeship? Click here.