5 TOP TIPS for apprentices!  (not just electrical)

This week marks national apprenticeship week

As a local Swadlincote electrical contractor, we are proud to contribute towards the learning and development of local apprentices, both in full time apprenticeships and work experience. Working towards becoming a fully qualified electrician, they will gain experience in Solar Panel installation, Battery Storge, Commercial/Industrial electrical installation and testing, Commercial Fire Alarm Installation and testing, Emergency Lighting and also learning the art of carrying out rewires in a matter of days!

Whilst at present we don’t have capacity to take on more but we appreciate how difficult it is to find employers , so would like to urge other local employers to look into the benefits of employing apprentices. There is a huge shortage of apprenticeships and we get enquiries at least once a day.

We would also like to share 5 Top Tips to help aspiring apprentices secure an apprenticeship.

1. Have a plan – decide which job suits your key skills, which course you are going to do, which college you will enrol at, when you are wanting to start your apprenticeship, (most courses start in September) and how you are going to find an apprenticeship. If you are unsure what you want to do, find out if any local businesses are willing to offer work experience.

2. Be Proactive – by directly contact local companies to see if they are taking on, this can be in person, phone, e-mail or letter. All have advantages and disadvantages but the main thing is to do this yourself as this looks better than your parents doing this on your behalf. It will also boost your communication skills.

 

3. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket – You will need to try more than one approach to secure an apprenticeship, don’t put all your effort into e-mailing every business in the area. Call them, go into the local businesses in person with a smile and a CV, phone them and engage on social media platforms. But also, approach local wholesalers and introduce yourself, give them a number of CVs, they deal with other local businesses on a daily basis and may know of businesses that are taking on.

 

4. STAND OUT – as a local Electrical Contractor, we get 100s enquiries a year from aspiring apprentices, and most of the enquiries are very similar. Think of an idea that will make you stand out from the rest, that will make you get noticed and more importantly, it will mean that you will be remembered if a employer that wasn’t recruiting at the time, decides to the recruit in future.

 

5. Gain Knowledge – in your preferred job… it will pay off! It will give you an insight into if the job is for you. It will also mean that you have talking points when contacting potential employers and the knowledge you can demonstrate, will put you a step ahead of the rest. There is a wealth of information and knowledge on platforms such as YouTube and Facebook if you look hard enough. Some of it is quite funny and entertaining, you can learn without even realizing it. Just because you’re not currently in an apprenticeship, doesn’t mean that you can’t start progressing your career by self-learning.

Bonus Tip! Don’t give up – we can appreciate how difficult and demoralizing it can be, to not even get a single reply back after spending hours approaching potential employers. The more time, effort and persistence you put in, the more chance you will have at securing yourself an apprenticeship.

 

Spot On Electrical (Midlands) Ltd are Commercial and Industrial Electricians based in Derbyshire, covering all aspects of electrical including fire alarm systems and emergency lighting.

Based in Swadlincote, we are also proud MCS Approved Solar and Battery Installers for both domestic and commercial.