Helping guide the UK’s first Metrology apprenticeship

The Level 3 Metrology Apprenticeship was developed by the Metrology Trailblazer Group, which included over 30 employers and key stakeholders, and was led by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL). The steering group set out standards for Metrology Technicians across a variety of industries.

Tim Rapley, managing director of GOM optical 3D scanning metrology company, Physical Digital, was invited to influence the standards of the first Metrology Technician apprenticeship.

Mr Rapley has notable experience of metrology, gained initially at Woking-based McLaren’s race car engineering section, before he founded Physical Digital in response to a demand from automotive for the high-accuracy data captured through 3D scanning.

For the past twelve years, Physical Digital has been providing 3D scanning, quality inspection and reverse engineering to a variety of different industries. Using GOM ATOS scanning systems, Physical Digital provides highly accurate scan data in order to improve the quality of products, speed up the production cycle and reduce waste.

Mr Rapley has consistently demonstrated his support and enthusiasm for future engineers by offering work experience at the company, attending educational talks and providing 3D scanning and reverse engineering services for university teams taking part in the annual Formula Student motorsport competition.

The company has said the new apprenticeship training standards have been developed to ensure that training is relevant and beneficial to the future of the metrology industry. It will also help boost opportunities for those starting out in the industry and will help support the growth of the workforce nationwide. The application for the metrology apprenticeship was submitted in June 2016 and has been approved by the Department for Education (DfE).

Apprentices who undertake the full training will become valuable measurement specialists within their organisations, with the ability to contribute significantly to the future of the metrology industry and the UK economy.

To find out more information about metrology, contact email info@physicaldigital.com.

Physical Digital www.physicaldigital.com