Her two-week project was part of an Arriva initiative to send every apprentice technician in the business to the facility. The scheme, which so far has included most North-East apprentices, is now being rolled out nationwide.
The Jesmond engine shop, which employs four technicians, rebuilds 40 engines per year (Cummins, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, DAF and Scania) for the bus operator with routes over many parts of the UK. Supervised by a technician, Dugmore stripped the engine, did an assessment – in this case, correctly diagnosing as a fuel injection issue – then ordered the parts, did some machining and rebuilt the engine to the manufacturer's specification.
Dugmore, who was the top-scoring DVSA Inspection Apprentice in the 2018 IRTE skills challenge, and runner-up mechanical apprentice in 2017, volunteered for the post. Asked for his impressions of her, facility manager David York said: “It's a case of, if someone is interested, they'll learn. She was very keen. She is a valuable part of the team.” Dugmore also took advantage of the traditional privilege of the rebuilder, choosing the colour of paint used in the final engine spray coat.
