Substation Craftsperson Advanced Apprentice Review

My main duties involve searching for work to complete my competency logbooks. I help repair, maintain and inspect equipment on a regular basis, with jobs such as condition monitoring surveys, substation routines. At certain times I am based at the Eakring Training center to complete training courses that give me the skills I need to complete my work.

Yes. I have been working towards my Power Networks Standards qualification along with lots of other specialized skills, including: Confined Space Training, Working at Heights, Presentation Skills, Emergency First Aid, Emergency Fire Safety, MEWP (Mobile Elevated Working Platform ("Cherry Picker" ect.)) Operator License, Asbestos Awareness and Team Building and Development just to mention a few!

I Can feel very pressured and stressed at periods, especially when trying to find the work needed to complete my logbooks, but overall the programme feels very enjoyable and rewarding, especially with the challenging work and strong team morale. You form a close bond with a small group of friends that feels really good.

The course feels very compact and quick, in a good way. After finishing our induction we went straight into basic health and safety and competency training. The structure feels natural with chunks of time at the training center and on site. Our written exams take place in occasional 2 week blocks so we can focus on them fully.

I feel fairly well supported through the scheme. Most of the time, you can get support for anything you need but at some times when mentors are busy with other site work answers can take a long time to come. Overall however most of your support networks feel very strong and reliable.

I feel that I get a lot of support when working towards my qualifications. On the classroom based side, we have a 2 week period dedicated to the qualifications with the opportunity to ask questions and get answers. On the site based side, you can feel quite on your own when searching for the correct jobs but when on the jobs you feel very well supported.

I feel that my qualification very closely links in with my role as much of the qualification involves hands-on site work that we need to learn how to do to perform our role. For example, we learn how to maintain specific equipment, work at height safely along with other topics, and regularly get to put this into practice.

While the main offices have lots of sports teams and social clubs, the training center and site do not have many. Staying at the training center can feel isolating and occasionally boring, as evenings with little to do can start to feel repetitive. There is occasionally the opportunity to help with STEM fairs but this is usually timetable dependent and somewhat infrequent.

Yes

Despite the occasional downsides, this apprenticeship scheme still feels amazing. It gives me the ability to do something that I feel is useful and learn a trade that I feel is useful. It feels like a head start for the future and I encourage anyone thinking of applying to do so.

Revise for the Interviews. Know every word you want to say, but still be flexible as the questions are specific to you. Keep up to date with developments within the energy industry and use those small anecdotes to stand out. The questions can feel quite cryptic and confusing at times but keep in mind what makes you different, and emphasize this in the interview. It also helps if you know what is in a substation...