Career high for apprentice who climbs furnaces

A Sheffield apprentice is climbing the career ladder by scaling giant furnaces in her role as an electrician.

Annabelle Eastman, 22, is one of 23 apprentices who have been employed by Sheffield Forgemasters in 2024.

The company, which is owned by the Ministry of Defence, has taken on apprentices in a variety of departments and is preparing to welcome another intake in 2025.

"You have to be able to go up high and work so you do need a head for heights," Ms Eastman said.

The apprentice, from Barnsley, said: “I can do anything from going up and fixing a crane panel because it's not working right to going on top of the furnace, which are about fifteen metres above the floor.

“It’s interesting because you see everything differently when you’re high up, seeing how something so tall operates is really cool.”

Ms Eastman studied A Levels but decided against university as she preferred to learn while on the job.

“I was brought up around my dad and my uncle who had both done apprenticeships, so it has always been something I’m interested in," she said.

“I did physics at A level and really enjoyed the theory, so I decided to specialise in electrical installation.”

She trained at Arena Training Centre in Darnall, which is a specialist electrical college.

“I thought, why not give it a shot working in industry because it's something completely different and there is massive scope to work in it.”

She is in the second year of a four-year course, which fits around her work, and aims to stay with Forgemasters once completed.

“An apprenticeship also means I have support at both work and college," she said.

“I have two support systems and I genuinely could not wish for a better set of people to work with."

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