Will Keelan
Will Keelan
Research & Development Technician at Cobra Sport
Who is Will Keelan?
Will Keelan is a Research & Development Technician at Cobra Sport. He attended The Work-wise Foundation Employability Summer Academy in 2017 which “sparked a lightbulb” for him.
Why did Will attend Summer Academy?
Having a persistent interest in STEM, Will was uncertain about where to begin. When he discovered the Summer Academy through recommendation from another student from his school following her attendance. He saw it as an opportunity to explore and gain insights. Participating in the program provided him with the clarity he needed to chart his path in the field of STEM.
Will’s Education to Employment Journey
After school, Will attended Rotherham and North Notts College for 1 year and completed his Level 2 in Welding and Fabrication. He then applied to Cobra Sport to do his level 3. He also completed a night school course for Level 2 in AutoCAD Design Technologies. Will is currently in the third year of his Welding and Fabrication Apprenticeship at the AMRC, facilitated by Cobra Sport. Opting for an apprenticeship, Will perceives it as a more attainable pathway to higher education. Cobra Sport has made a substantial investment in Will through his apprenticeship, and he expresses optimism, stating, “If I put in the effort, it could be a job for life”
What does Will like the most about his job?
Will enjoys his role at Cobra Sport as they give people opportunities regardless of your age; Will says “If you’re good enough, you’re old enough here.” They have allowed Will to manage projects and have given him amazing opportunities whilst he has been employed by them. He also likes his role as Research & Design Technician as this is a role where you work on a product from start to finish rather than just working on a part of it and never seeing the end product.
What was Will’s experience of Summer Academy?
“It was the best decision I ever made, coming on Summer Academy” Will says. His time at the Summer Academy provided him with an introduction to the professional world, offering firsthand experience of a shop floor environment. When he joined us in 2017, Will's visit to Tinsley Bridge played a pivotal role in shaping his engineering mindset.
“Summer Academy is a great opportunity for students to meet people who come from different schools and backgrounds”. Will said “ it was extremely reassuring to meet other people and realise that I wasn’t alone in not knowing what my next steps were after school.”
“The Work-wise Foundation are bridging the gap between being a school leaver and employment!”
What are his future aspirations?
Will wants to progress onto a degree apprenticeship, working his way to be a fully-fledged engineer. In the long-term Will would like to be Chief Engineer at Cobra Sport. Short-term, he would like to work more on the project management side of the business.. He has been gaining opportunities recently within the business to help in the management of projects, Will would like to progress with this and manage his own projects.
Will’s advice to young people
“If you are unsure of what to do, go to The Work-wise Foundation. They have valuable life lessons and good valuable experiences to offer including team building and problem solving.”
A final word from Will
“You've had a great impact on my career, and I think it's brilliant you are able to highlight that Work-wise has opened doors for school leavers to engineering and STEM through this case study,”
A message from Will’s Employer
“It has been amazing to be able to support Will through his apprenticeship journey so far and wonderful to see him develop in his role with Cobra Sport. Will is confidently working on projects with maturity and wisdom far beyond his years and is proof that you can succeed at any age with confidence and determination. Will has a very bright future ahead of him and we are committed to supporting him however we can in his future career.” – Rachel Abbott, Managing Director at Cobra Sport | Cobra Manufacturing
