Electrical Power, Protection and Plant Commissioning Engineer Review

As a substation engineering apprentice, my day to day activities include overseeing the protection and safety from the system for a large multitude of assets on the substation. From an operational standpoint this can include both in the office and out of site work.

Whilst I have only been working here for around 7 months, I had have to opportunity to learn many new skills and compound my knowledge greatly. This ranges from fault finding and testing to larger scale asset refurbishments and maintenances.

The programme has been expertly delivered and the recourses offered to myself and my cohort has been second to none. I have been lucky enough to train with and under industrial leading experts and work with some of the very best equipment.

As an apprentice, my training scheme is planned months in advance, this is due to the shear amount of courses, college and log book jobs I am required to complete. I have access to a planner of which outlines exactly where I will be months in advance.

National Grid put great emphasis on health, safety and wellbeing and from day one, I was given access to and made aware of the vast array of avenues for supporting my wellbeing, this ranging from bi-weekly drop in call sessions to air any concerns to the vast array of free professional support offered, such as free same day doctor appointments to free physio appointments and so on.

I am currently completing a HNC in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, during this process the college and the apprenticeship team here at National Grid have collaborated extensively to ensure that any concerns or issues we raised were quickly amended so that we all had the very best chance of succeeding.

The HNC that I am working towards helps compound my knowledge when on site. The HNC in Electrical Engineering provides a greater insight into how these circuits and intricate assets operate on a fundamental level of which helps me understand not only why these assets are being used, but will also in the future potentially help me fault find and rectify due to my greater understanding.

National Grid have many extra curricular activities offered, for example I have taken part in many different volunteering events as hosted and organized through our Grid for Good team, of which I have attended School Career fairs and other events of which has allowed me to give back and have a hand in guiding the next generation of engineers through our doors. I have also taken part in many team building events, for example my site is conducting a 5 a side football match in the coming weeks of which is a great opportunity to get to know my team better.

Yes

Quite frankly, although I may be biased, National Grid offer the best training schemes in the industry, the trainers, engineers and staff you work alongside everyday are of the highest quality and only inspire me to be better everyday. I am genuinely excited to come to work everyday and learn something new, and I am extremely grateful to be a part of National Grids push towards net zero and the work we are doing daily to achieve that goal.

Don't take no for an answer, I was unfortunately turned down for the apprenticeship scheme a year prior, however I knew that I wanted to work here so I kept applying and applying until I eventually got in, so don't let it discourage you from getting where you want to be. Aside from that, I would only recommend to be yourself, be authentic and display your enthusiasm, National Grid are increasing their cohort size exponentially every year due to the push to net zero and as such there are many opportunities for people to join and get on board.