Technical Trainee Review

Job Title: Technical Trainee (Wastewater) Job role includes, maintaining/repairing/fault-finding electrical and electronic (control) equipment, carrying out Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) on electrical and control equipment, carrying out Condition Based Monitoring (CBM) on electrical equipment as and when jobs are issued to my mentor who's daily 'jobs' I undertake with their supervision. Daily Interactions Internally: Morning meeting with the site team to discuss issues on site. This includes my performance manager and we all interact about issues on site and discuss what we will be doing that day. Every Friday I have a meeting with my performance manager to discuss how my apprenticeship is progressing. We discuss the work I have undertaken, whether I am happy with the status quo, and what can be done to improve the apprenticeship programme. Daily interactions externally: Sometimes (not daily) I will have to contact suppliers and order in components and parts as and when needed for a job. Responsibilities: These include ensuring I complete any jobs I undertake to the best of my ability and to the relevant standards within Thames. Showing up to and leaving work on time. Projecting a good image of the company while wearing the uniform. Driving my apprenticeship forward as and when required. (I.E. when there is a lack of work, finding appropriate jobs or tasks to undertake that will help my development into a technician). Projects: I was involved in overhauling a redundant Ferric Dosing System as a part of my BTEC Level 3 college course project unit. This involved writing PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and HMI (Human Machine Interface [which is basically a touch screen display]) code to develop a modern system that could stand up the constantly changing flow coming to a sewage treatment works. I was assisted by my mentor at the time who provided assistance as and when I required it. I mainly work on my single 'base' site, but I can be called (as the technician I work with is called, not me personally) to other sites as and when required for a job. As an apprentice you must not work alone as per Thames’ policy.

Qualifications: - BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Engineering - Currently studying for a HNC in Electrical/Electronic Engineering - Currently studying for a Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Engineering Maintenance - Employee rights and responsibilities - Personal Learning and Thinking Skills Internal Training: - Thames Water Passport (An introduction to Health and Safety on Thames Water sites). - Manual Handling Training - Working at Heights Awareness - Confined Spaces Awareness - Basic First Aid Personal Skills: Problem solving, timekeeping, interpersonal skills and teamwork Practical Skills: Electrical/Electronic circuit building and fault-finding, making off armoured and unarmoured cable, cutting, stripping and crimping cables, attaching identification markers, Soldering, running cable, Coding PLCs, Coding HMIs, using power tools, using hand tools, machining, measuring using a variety of tools, cable tidying, isolating electricity supplies, using electronic test equipment and more

I enjoy the work that I do when I have jobs to do. There are lulls in work which can be annoying as I can struggle to find things to do sometimes. This completely depends on the site you end up on though. I get some very interesting jobs though such as coding up a HMI, coding up PLCS, testing and calibrating sensors. I’ve found my teams easy to get along with and have been very supportive towards my apprenticeship. I have been based at two sites in the two years I’ve been at Thames (This is unusual, normally, you get your base location and stay there, unless reasons dictate you need to move). My move was for my benefit as I had less distance to travel to get to work. I have found the wastewater side of the business to be fairly relaxed relatively speaking. I am allowed to do jobs at my own pace which I feel allows me to produce my best work. I did not expect to end up working in the wastewater industry. Overall though I have gotten used to it and now enjoy the work I do.

Overall I do feel valued by Thames Water, they supported me through my sick leave and gave me a phased return to work which I needed. My managers have always been appreciative of the work I do and recognise the contributions I make to the business as a whole. I was put forward for the company magazine (The Source) by my then manager, for my work on a Ferric Dosing system as a part of my college project. However, I did not make the cut. I have been allowed to get involved with some very in-depth projects within Thames and allowed to contribute my own ideas towards then. I also got to code up a HMI and code up a PLC, which challenged me and I found it was actually fun to learn how to do.

You tend to have to drive your apprenticeship forward yourself. This involves seeking out training as and when required, pushing for certain types of jobs so you can hit criteria you are missing, and chasing up people about different things relating to the apprenticeship. It is not handed to you on a platter, and if you expect this, you likely won’t finish the apprenticeship on time. My induction into the apprenticeship was actually later than everyone else’s. This is because I was on holiday at the time of the initial induction. Thames accounted for this very well in my opinion. I met my manager who explained to me the type of work I would be carrying out. The mentor system is a very good system. I have found my mentors to be approachable and willing to share their knowledge and pass no judgement when it comes to my ignorance on certain aspects of a job. The only issue with it is that jobs are dependent on your mentor getting jobs, and if they don’t get jobs, you have to go elsewhere to find work.

My assessor meets with me every 4-6 weeks to discuss the progress I have made on my jobs and UPK Questions (Underpinning Knowledge Questions). He offers feedback on the jobs I write up and helps me focus my jobs to the criteria I need to hit to pass my apprenticeship. At any time, I can phone or email him or anyone else with the training provider, to ask questions I need answered.

My performance manager normally sits down with me once a week to discuss how my apprenticeship is progressing and whether I am happy with how my apprenticeship is progressing and what jobs I have been doing. My apprentice manager looks after the progress of my apprenticeship and we hold quarterly meetings to discuss issues with the apprenticeship in our year group. He was also instrumental in getting me relocated to a site closer to my home. My mentor and I get on very well and have a very good working relationship. He provides excellent support when I want to know more about a system and where he doesn’t know the answer he seeks out additional information to answer my questions. I had to take a few months off work on sick leave and Thames was very supportive throughout this ordeal. They gave me a phased return to work which was instrumental to my healthy return to work.

Overall I feel the apprenticeship pays very well for what you get out of it. You spend the first year in college (mostly) and do nothing towards your NVQ (typically). Thames pays a good starting wage considering you spend most of your time at college. Each year, if you show reasonable progress, you get a pay increment (this can be held back if its felt you aren’t performing to a good standard) which is a good incentive to do your best. In my first two years, I was doing a lot of travelling on the trains to get to college and my base site. This was a costly venture and I wasn’t able to save a lot of money. However, I have since been moved to a site much closer to home so I have seen a massive return going into my third year as travel costs have reduced. Thames is currently paying up to £500 towards my learning to drive, which is a good bonus if you have not already learnt. Unfortunately, if you’ve already passed your test then you won’t see anything from this. You get a smartphone for internal communications so you do not spend money on work related communications. You should get a laptop or at the very least access to a computer for doing your write ups so no need to buy a personal computer should you not have one.

There are numerous opportunities outside of work to contribute to Thames. They hold day to give where all the apprentices and apprentice managers get together and perform an act of charity for a community. You generally get a day off work to do these events. You may find what you learn at Thames helps in you domestic life (engineering has many applications). I have found that I have developed my electronic skills to such an extent that I am now capable of designing, building testing my own stereo amplifier system. Also I have become handier about the house, being able to repair and fault-find things where before we would have had to call someone in.

Yes

I would recommend Thames Water to a friend, as they look after you with the pay and benefits package. Personally I have found their policies on sick leave to be of the highest standard and they gave me a phased return to work when I really needed it. One of the things I would say is that you should be open-minded. Be prepared to meet a wide range of people and interact with your team on a daily basis.

I would say, showcase your engineering skills if you have them. Anything mechanical, electrical or electronic is a good thing to display. Write a cover letter to go with your CV explaining why you feel you would be suited towards the engineering apprenticeship at Thames Water and to flesh out and explain your CV. Triple check both for grammatical and spelling errors. Be prepared to send a video (I had to) about why you would be suited towards the Thames Apprenticeship. Keep a copy on your phone, as they will want to see it in the interview. On the assessment day, dress appropriately, show up at the very least on time, and plan your route beforehand to make sure you will make it on time with traffic/delays. Remember that Thames values ALL its customers equally. Be prepared to take tests, testing your base mechanical, electrical and electronic skills. Be prepared to work in a group on a task. This will be showing how you work in a team. Finally, be prepared for a fairly simple practical test showcasing your basic engineering skills (I had to wire a plug).