A former winner of ‘Apprentice of the Year’ and now one of NICEIC’s youngest area engineers, Jack tells us about his career so far and what advice he’d give to people entering the industry.
Debbie Shields | Communications Manager
Why do you like working in the electrical sector?
It’s an exciting place to be and a fantastic sector. It’s only going from strength to strength, especially with the push on green energies and emerging technologies. Too many people think our work is only about household electrical systems and simple wiring. But there’s such a broad, diverse range of areas you can go into under the umbrella of electrics.How did you get started?
When I left school in 2008, I joined a local electrical firm as an apprentice. I later moved to a different company and re-started a three-year apprenticeship in partnership with NICEIC.What happened next?
After completing my apprenticeship, I carried on working for the company where I’d been an apprentice. I moved briefly into communications, but it wasn’t for me, and I returned to my electrical career in 2017 as a trainee area engineer at NICEIC. I’m now an area engineer for NICEIC.Why do you enjoy your job?
As I walk out the door in the morning, I could be off to a laboratory, or to a swimming pool, or I could end up at Whipsnade Zoo. It’s the excitement of going out each day and not really knowing what you're going to face. Every day it’s a different person on a different job and doing a different scope of work.What are the challenges?
As with every job, there are challenges and there are difficult conversations. I think every area engineer would agree on that. We're going out and assessing people's competence and compliance with BS 7671, so when people don’t meet the standards, it can be difficult to have those conversations. Those are the challenging days but, overall, the work is exciting and it's new every day.What’s your favourite part of the job?
When I was an electrician, my favourite part was always the end of a project, when we got to look at the outcome of all our hard work. The nice thing about my role now is that I get that same sense of accomplishment from visiting the contractors. I see the end result of the interesting projects they've worked on, and I enjoy seeing the good work they’re doing out there.What would you say to a young person entering the industry?
I’d say to take a long term view, and to invest in yourself and your skills. Qualifications open doors, and the way the industry is moving, competence is everything. The more qualifications you can gain at an early age, the better it sets you up. With experience, you learn it’s important to put the effort in early and you'll then reap the rewards later.Is there anything the sector could do to better support young people going through college?
We don't necessarily talk enough about the way the world and technology has changed and how this affects how we support and train young people. I’d like to see more focus on how to better harness technology to engage, educate and train electricians for the future.
What are your plans for the future?
I love what I do now – going out every day and seeing contractors. But I’m also interested in influencing the direction of NICEIC and how we can help shape the industry and support it to grow. I’d like to be part of that. You can be on the outside looking in and moan about things or you can be on the inside and try and influence what’s happening, and for me that’s the direction I want to go in.
