Cable Jointer Review

I do both on the job and off the job training. Most days I work along-side profession cable jointer and help them perform tasks throughout the day. As I've progressed through the apprenticeship, I have then been able to take over certain tasks under personal supervision. The whole three years contains lots of different aspects, including college training, on the the job training and then specialist training that is provided by the company at their training school.

I have learnt many new skills as when I started I knew nothing about power distribution, so I had it all to learn. Some of the skills include, how to supply point test, how to safely work around electricity up to 33kv. How to join to cables together (both live and dead), how to re-build a new substation and how to locate faults on the power network. Along side these practical skills, I've developed on my team building, independence and work ethic skills.

I've really enjoyed the programme as a whole. I've most enjoyed the practical side of learning at getting paid whilst doing it! Every day is completely different from the next, so you get to see a lot of different things. The company and people really make the job what it is though, i feel like if i was to do the exact same course, at a different company it would be a complete contrast, just because of the impact that the people you work with have on your experience.

I found the structure of the programme is both very flexible, in as much as you get progress as much / as quickly as you like, but then you've also got the milestones and the targets to keep you on track when you're not sure what to do next. 2020 has been a real challenge for most companys, and for SSE to be able to keep up the standard of training throughout it all has been really impressive.

I have both a team manager, supervisor and learner team manager that give me support every single day. My team manager gives me support of the day to to day bits of work, such as, tools, PPE, scheduling etc. My supervisor will then give me support thought out the actually job in hand. So he'll be on my shoulder when I'm working LIVE, or when i need a question answering when I'm actually on site. I'd say you learn more from these guys than anyone else. Then my Learner manager give me support throughout the whole 3 years, making sure that I'm on track to get my qualification and will set goals in reviews to keep me focused.

I have both a team manager, supervisor and learner team manager that give me support every single day. My team manager gives me support of the day to to day bits of work, such as, tools, PPE, scheduling etc. My supervisor will then give me support thought out the actually job in hand. So he'll be on my shoulder when I'm working LIVE, or when i need a question answering when I'm actually on site. I'd say you learn more from these guys than anyone else. Then my Learner manager give me support throughout the whole 3 years, making sure that I'm on track to get my qualification and will set goals in reviews to keep me focused.

What I do every single day is exactly what I will be doing when I'm fully passed out, just will more of the responsibility. I find that this apprenticeships is the only way to be able to be confident in what I will be doing when I have got my qualification and will be doing the job day in day out. What we learn at college (training provider), is the theory side of what we are learning out on site. It is vital to know the basics for both safety and knowledgeable reasons.

At SSE I haven't been made aware of any extra-curricular activities that I can get involved in. However, when we were at college, we did do a lot of sport in our free time and actually had a set time in our time table that we had a PE teacher provided to us. Because SSE is a 24hr business, it would be challenging to organise extra-curricular activities for the depot to do, without people constantly being left out.

Yes

The company has done nothing but positive things for myself. It's developed me as a person, as well as given me the recourses and training to be able to start a career in electrical engineering. The opportunities that at on offer are second to none as well. I'm coming to the end of my training now, and have already started making enquires into starting another training course to become a trainee engineer.

Be yourself! Over the last 3 years, I've realised that its a lot less to do with what you have on your CV that a company is interested in. Its all about you as a person and what you could bring to the company. In the last intake of apprentices that SSE took on, they were encouraging people that might not necessarily have the grades they wanted to achieve at school to still apply. Finally, I would say to take the apprentice by the horns and get as much out of it as you can, as the more you put in, the more you get out, and the further you will go.