Meet Joe Green. He has just completed his electrical apprenticeship, passing with distinctions. Not only that, he was a star apprentice and has already become a valued full-time employee for the company he did his apprenticeship with, Guinness Property. They provide high quality social housing across England. Joe is now a member of the property maintenance team working across Derbyshire and beyond.
Joe’s manager, Dale Pashley told us: “I am really pleased with Joe’s progress. He gets all his jobs completed on time and to a good standard. He is great with customers and fits really well with the team.”
We asked Joe to tell us more about his apprenticeship and his new job.
Tell us more about why you chose to do an apprenticeship.
“When I left school I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do so I went to college to do a sports course because I thought while I figured it out what career I wanted it was better to do something that interested me. A year in to college I started to think about what I could do to have a more ‘hands on’ career.
“I started exploring different trades and talking to lecturers. The Electrical course was the one that stood out to me. I completed my sports course to get the qualification before enrolling on L2 electrical course. The plan was to do the first year in college and then get an apprenticeship. I did the first year and really enjoyed it. Then, I applied for the apprenticeship at Guinness and got it. I was really pleased because it was my first choice. It really appealed to me because of the locations and the type of work I’d be doing.”
What have you experienced in your apprenticeship and how has that led on to your full time role?
“I really enjoy what I do and a lot of that is because of the camaraderie in the job with the people I work with and the tenants I meet. I really like meeting new people.
My job involves mainly maintenance and repairs. I go to different tenants houses. I can have up to 8 jobs a day if they are smaller ones, but sometimes I could be in one property a day if it is a bigger job. Every day is different and I really like that.”
Why do you think an apprenticeship suited you so much?
“I am more of a hands on learner. I did quite well in school but I wasn’t interested in sitting down to study and do exams. University wasn’t for me. The apprenticeship route was perfect for me and I didn’t realise how perfect until I actually started doing it.
On the apprenticeship I would be at work for 4 days and then have a day in college – which was really fun actually, and a really good experience. I made new friends and learnt new things. There was quite a bit that I had to learn for my final exam that I don’t have chance to do day to day which the tutors taught me in college.”
What kind of support did you get from employers and college?
“In my last year, I had a brilliant supportive assessor who would come out to site and help me get the evidence I needed for my portfolio. I was pushing to get my portfolio done as soon as I could because I knew I could then do my final exam. The sooner I did that the sooner I qualified and could start applying for jobs.
My supervisors helped me by organising time for me to work in other departments to get the extra evidence I needed for my apprenticeship portfolio which wasn’t part of my day to day work. I went to work on an industrial site in Sheffield for example. As soon as I asked for help they would organise what I needed. I am really lucky to be working in a place that was so supportive.
I have made some good friends and had some really supportive colleagues. When I was doing my exams the person who I had worked with through my apprenticeship was ringing me to see how I was feeling and give me words of encouragement. That meant a lot.
We also get regular training for all kinds of things that support us to do the job. This is an added bonus and something that benefits me for the future too.”
Did you know you would be working full time here after you had completed your apprenticeship?
“I was hoping it would but it wasn’t guaranteed. I understood that it would depend on if there were vacancies available. Luckily, when I qualified there were some so I applied and I was so glad I got the job because I love working here.”
What job are you doing now?
“Now I have qualified I am working on similar jobs as I was doing as an apprentice. It mainly involves domestic installation and repair, although I am now mainly working on repairs.
I like that I get to travel around too. My jobs take me across the Peak District, Chesterfield, Mansfield and into some areas in Sheffield.”
What does the future hold for you?
“I really enjoy it here and want to stay here for a while. It is such a great company to work for and it is a great place to build up my experience. I have considered progressing on to study electrical engineering at some point in my career and I would like to experience working abroad for a while if the opportunity arises in the future.
There are so many different fields to work in with the qualifications I have. What I do on the domestic side is just one side of it. I look forward to getting some experience in different areas as my career progresses.”
What advice would you give to others?
“I say this to everybody, find something you are interested in and, if you can, get an apprenticeship. It is the best decision I ever made. You get paid to get a qualification, get lots of experience and have fun meeting new people. The last 5 years of college and my apprenticeship has gone really quickly and I am happy with how it is set me up for the future.”
Are you interested in starting your career with an apprenticeship? Take a look at the vacancies available now here