How to coin it in at the Royal Mint
A 12-SIDED £1 coin and a new visitor centre at the Royal Mint will bring new jobs and opportunities there next year.
Bunnet Gumpo, 26, joined The Mint’s graduate scheme after a postgraduate course in mechanical engineering.
He says: ‘ I’m now working in the production department, but will be posted to other departments, so I’ll be learning a range of skills. I eventually want to qualify as a chartered engineer.’
The Mint, which has more than 1,000 years of minting history, makes UK and foreign coins as well as military and Olympic medals. Fellow scheme member Laura Reynolds, 23, was partly attracted by The Mint’s history, but its finance graduate programme helped.
‘This scheme means I learn accounting skills that are related to manufacturing, sales and marketing and international trade,’ she says.
The visitor centre will be based at The Mint’s home in Llantrisant, South Wales, where it also employs apprentices.
Joseph Landeg, 19, gained his BTEC in engineering before joining The Mint’s apprenticeship scheme. He says: ‘I ensure the mechanical presses used to strike commemorative coins function as and when they should, reducing engineering downtime and the negative impact on production. After my apprenticeship, I’d like to get more qualifications with the company.’
Anne Jessopp, who is the Royal Mint’s director of business services, says: ‘We’re planning to recruit three new graduates this year in our marketing, engineering and operations departments.
‘Those applying will need customer awareness, health and safety consciousness and the ability to take the initiative, as well as technical skills.’
The new visitor centre, which opens next May, will also provide jobs for guides, restaurant workers and security staff.