Skip to main content
D C G Logo

Derby College Group (DCG)
Telephone: 0800 028 0289
https://www.derby-college.ac.uk
enquiries@derby-college.ac.uk

0800 028 0289

  • Contact
  • Jobs
  • How to Apply
  • About DCG
  • Home
  • Courses & Careers
    Course SearchSubject Areas at DCGCourse Types at DCGCampuses & Course LocationsDCG Success StoriesCareer SearchCareer PathwaysDownload a ProspectusFree – ESF Fully Funded Course
  • Employers
  • Student Support
  • Parents
  • News/Events
    EventsNewsEvent Registration
DCG Role Models Lewis Cottle

DCG Success Stories

Lewis Cottle

Lewis Cottle at Belfield HSE

Study Type: Apprenticeship
Study Location: Hudson Building
Subject Studied: Construction - Brickwork

Teenager Lewis Cottle says switching direction to an apprenticeship course is helping to “set me up for life”.

Seventeen-year-old Lewis was one of two applicants chosen by Ilkeston-based Belfield Furnishings to be taken on to work in its maintenance team. Lewis, who lives in Ilkeston, said he was impressed by a presentation by the company at college.

He decided to apply so he could learn a variety of trades. Richard Newby, HSE and maintenance manager at Belfield, said Lewis’s application was one of those which stood out and he was one of two candidates taken on.

Lewis has now switched from a Level 1 Brickwork course to study towards a Level 2 Diploma in Maintenance.

He is studying one day a week at college and learning the ropes with Belfield on the remaining four working days.

Richard Newby, Belfield’s HSE and maintenance manager said the company’s aim was to “invest time and training so our apprentices gain the skills they need to be part of the team for the long haul.”

He added: “We’re pleased to have them on board.”

At college the teachers show you the easiest and best ways to do a job. They really help if you are struggling with something. I like the job because it's actually doing something real. If you do it, like a factory floor, it's here for the next 30 years or more. It's an achievement. It's great having some money coming in to save up. I can manage my money better to help set me up in life.

D C G Logo
  • Derby College Facebook
  • Derby College Youtube
  • Derby College Instagram

Courses

  • Course Search
  • Career Search
  • Subject Areas at DCG
  • Career Pathways
  • Course Types at DCG
  • Campuses & Course Locations at DCG
  • Download a Prospectus
  • Chart Your Future

Students

  • Student Support
  • Student Services
  • Login to inTouch
  • Report an Absence or Lateness
  • Moodle VLE
  • Think Alumni
  • Student Bursary

Staff

  • Staff Intranet
  • Remote Desktop
  • Systems Hub
  • Email

DCG

  • Governance
  • Policies and Papers
  • Why work for us?
  • Meet the Governors
  • Who’s Who
  • Website Accessibility Statement
  • Data Protection
  • Freedom of Information
  • Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Statement
  • Modern Slavery Statement
  • Environmental and Sustainability at DCG
  • DCG-Annual-Accountability-Statement-2024-25
  • DCG Strategy and Regulation – Accountability Statement 2025-26

Study with Us

  • DCG Success Stories
  • DCG Covid Safety

Student Life

  • Derby College Students Union

More

  • Covid Safety
  • Apprenticeship Vacancies
  • Open to the Public
  • Term Dates
  • College Calendar 2025-26

Quick Links

  • Contact Us
  • How to Apply
  • Make a Payment
  • Report an Absence or Lateness
  • Jobs at DCG
DCG Logo Derby College Group
Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}