A WEBS Training Level 3 – Bespoke Furniture Maker apprentice from Gordon Ellis was recently shortlisted for the Make UK awards for his tambour door TV cabinet.

Max Shortland, who is passionate about designing and creating furniture, was shortlisted in the Make UK awards for Engineering Apprentice Rising Star for Midlands and East Region – and was the only furniture maker in either of the apprentice categories.

Max found the award himself and decided to submit an application. It was quite an intense process focussing not only on the skills learnt but his contribution to efficiencies and being able to give evidenced examples of his achievements and how they will contribute to the success of his business.

As part of the shortlist, Max was up against Midlands engineering companies such as Rolls Royce, Jaguar Land Rover and MBDA, where Rolls Royce both achieved winner (Triada Mitrou) and runner-up (Annalee Macfarlane) in the category.

Max was super enthusiastic about the experience and is already thinking about applying again – saying now he understands more about the process he would love to apply for the final year award, and would encourage others in furniture to also apply.

He said it “felt a bit strange being up against other apprentices whose project budgets were thousands of pounds, whereas his was only a couple of hundred”, but he was “proud to be there as a furniture maker and to help promote Gordon Ellis too”.

Gordon Ellis, who make street and healthcare furniture along with a huge range of other things, have been incredibly supportive of his development – not just training him as an operative but putting him in different areas of the business and allowing him to complete exercises in costing, quality control, problem solving and route cause analysis for him to be able to be an invaluable member of the organisation.

Gordon Ellis currently has a strong focus on investment and development, with Max being their third Level 3 apprentice this year, and have been fantastic in their workplace training.

Max’s main project as part of his course was the research and design of a mid-century inspired tambour door TV cabinet, after seeing the tambour door during a research session. This was challenging for him, including prototype work before creating the final piece which was made from solid oak with no screw and a linseed oil finish.

On the achievement, Training Officer Craig Martin said: “It is a really good achievement – as the only furniture maker shortlisted it shows he is the best in furniture, to the point where he is competing against aerospace engineers.

“On his overall development he has worked hard, and I am proud of how far he has come throughout his course – he is a good worker with heaps of enthusiasm. He has confidence in himself, but importantly also the support of his company who believe in him and push him to achieve great things.”