First Call Operative Review

As an FCO our role all evolves round safeguarding life and property. We are an emergency service which covers gas escapes (internal and external) and also meter work. We are responsible for leaving each and every job safe, letting the customer know they have nothng to worry about and that they are safe.

Since the start of the apprenticeship, i have developed lots of new skills which will help me in the future. Most training we do is internal, with one of National Grids trainers, and this has helped both my personal and profesional skills. Since the start of the aprenticeship, the main thing i haved learned is to be more confident, and this will help me both professionally and personally.

I really enjoy the programme, in some ways much more than i expected. The work we do is very interesting and whilst training, working as a team helps us all achieve more. The company we work within is reliable and treats every employee with respect. I am really enjoying working with such a good company!

I believe that our manager appreciates all of us, as we work hard and treat everything like it is important. I always get involved with tasks, when training away and on patch.

The induction to the programme was very good, it helped us understand what we had to come in the programme and what training we would have to follow. However when it comes to the organisation of the programme timetable, that has slacked, as the programme is always changed. This is a problem for all of us as this means it is hard for us to plan things, as we know the programme is subject to change.

When training away, we recieve lots of support from our trainer, who is always guiding us in the right direction. We treat the trainers with lots of respect as we know they are helping us with our future, and in return we gain there respect. Every trainer wants us to do well, which makes it a lot more enjoyable as we know they are just trying to support us.

To start, i couldnt ask for a better manager (Rob Baxter) and a better mentor (Paul Stanley). They are always there for me and they are really supportive. They are easy to contact, and are always at the end of the phone if i need to contact them or even if i have a problem.

As i am only 16 years old, the salary we recieve is more than enough to live off. As i am still living at home, i do not have much expenditure on a daily basis. The wage packet is better than expected, and if anything shows that we are important to the business which may be why they pay us so well.

Outside of work, there are many events you can volunteer to do, such as going to schools and spreaking to people about there next step etc. These events all aim to help people decide what they want to do after leaving school/sixth form. When i am not working personally, i play a lot of cricket and football, and they are hobbies i have been interested in all my life. I have time after work to do these things, as they are sports which i really enjoy and often it helps me catch up with friends.

No

Yes because it is a very good business which treats all there cstomers with respect. Also you know when working for the business your job is secure, and as it is a well known business, customers respect the work you do.

The tips i would give to people applying to Nationall Grid is to sell your self, dont hold back on anything and just prove you are worthy of the job. The application process is very well laid out, giving you quick replies to what comes next. The assessment day was a great experience, giving you the oppurtunity to prove your worth. Before starting the apprenticeship, i would have liked to have been told where we would be based accurately, as what we were told was different to what actually happened. Overall i would definitely recommend the business to anyone who is interested.