National Apprenticeship Week: Electrical Engineering Apprentices, Nick and Josh

In September 2022 we saw five members of the team start an apprenticeship as part of their career progression at Waldeck, two of whom are part of our Mechanical & Electrical Building Services team in Sheffield.

As such, we thought it was time to catch up with Trainee Technicians Nick (left) and Josh (right) to find out how they are getting on, and why they would recommend a Degree Apprenticeship to others starting out in industry.

Nick Murdoch – Electrical Engineering Degree Apprenticeship

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Hi Nick! Please can you tell us more about why did you choose an apprenticeship to further your education? 

I decided to do an apprenticeship because of the balance it offers between work and education. This apprenticeship allows me to gain hands on experience in the Electrical & Building Services field, while working on a range of projects at Waldeck. This real-world understanding can then feed through into my education and better support my learning and development to become a well-rounded engineer.

All the modules that I am studying at university can apply to the jobs here at Waldeck which means that I can apply the knowledge to help better understand specific parts of my course and help out more significantly and become a real asset to the team. A degree in Electrical & Electronic Engineering is a springboard into the electrical world, and with the work experience it allows me to expand my knowledge in this sector. 

What are you most looking forward to most over the coming months? 

I am most looking forward to being part of a highly skilled team that uses its engineering expertise to help engineer some of the most exciting projects in the UK. I am so excited to be learning about all the different services that the Mechanical & Electrical team offer; there are so many things to learn about in this sector and this gives me something to look forward to everyday.

The challenging aspects of the job also excite me because I feel you learn so much more when pushed by challenges. Expanding my knowledge and understanding the levels of responsibility that are required at Waldeck is an area that I constantly look forward to because of the amount of care and pride that Waldeck employees take in every job. All in all, there are a few areas that I am looking forward to, it is hard to narrow it down to just one!

From what you’ve seen so far – would you recommend someone starting an apprenticeship and why?

Absolutely! You learn at an astonishing rate. With me being in the role for only a few months, I have learnt so much and already feel part of the team, which is something that can be quite daunting when starting out.

Apprenticeships are definitely the way to get more relevant hands on experience as well as qualifications. On a personal level, I feel that I have been exposed to more engineering problems and scenarios than I would have never encountered being a full-time University student. This means that after 3 years, I will have a degree with 3 years of relevant work experience, compared to a University student who will just have a degree. I would highly recommend starting an apprenticeship so that you are obtaining great qualifications and building up experience to be a valuable member of your team.

What role would you like to have in 5 years’ time? 

In 5 years’ time, I will have completed my 3 year degree course and had 5 years’ experience working at Waldeck. Consequently, I am hoping to be a Senior Engineer or very close to achieving this role.

Because of the 5 years’ work experience at Waldeck, I am hoping to be close to IEng (Incorporated Engineer) or EngTech status. I am hoping to also be working towards a Master’s degree in my field, because this would add great benefit to Waldeck and allow me to contribute more to the engineering team. 5 years is a long time, and there is so much to learn here at Waldeck… I am embracing the challenge and look forward to seeing where this apprenticeship will take me.

In the face of a skills gap and lack of people choosing a career in STEM subjects, how would you inspire someone, to take a similar route into the workplace?

For someone who is debating whether to do an apprenticeship or not, I would inspire them by showcasing the different projects that are being worked on and try to have students have a hands on approach to the job in hand.

It is something that they will not have come across before and it is something that is totally different to the leaning that is undertaken at school. I would also say that there are endless possibilities with STEM and the fact that no project has ever been the same no matter on how similar it may look.

I also think the inspiration can spark early on at home or school by being exposed to STEM subjects at home. It would also be fantastic to see schools have a STEM day where they are tasked to create something and have the students think about how this could be achieved!

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Joshua Price – Electrical Engineering Degree Apprenticeship

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Hi Josh! What led you to choosing an apprenticeship to further your education?

I decided to take on this apprenticeship because it allows me to gain experience and learn on the job, all while working towards a recognised degree in the field.

This was perfect for me as I wanted to get into the world of work straight away after finishing A Levels and with this apprenticeship it allows me to do this, as well as furthering my education at university.

Working for Waldeck as an apprentice allows me to be involved on important projects, developing my experience in the building services industry to accommodate the knowledge I obtain from attending Sheffield Hallam University. Attending university will help me understand key parts of engineering and the industry surrounding it, which I can then transfer into my place of work to better accompany my colleagues at Waldeck.

What are you looking forward to most over the coming months?

What I look forward to most is getting involved in key projects around the country and the knowledge that comes with that. This accompanied by a very experienced team in both the Electrical and Mechanical sections of the team guiding me to produce quality output.

This is exciting as it helps me gain experience by being involved in important jobs and being pushed to get deadlines completed in time for clients. This comes with lots of responsibility that I look forward to having and sharing with my colleagues at Waldeck to complete jobs to the highest standard.

From what you’ve seen so far – would you recommend someone starting an apprenticeship and why?

I would highly recommend taking up an apprenticeship to further your education as it gives you endless possibilities in a wide range of sectors. Gaining experience early on enhances your career opportunities in the future, as well as having that industry recognised qualification to accompany that.

What role you’d like to have in 5 years’ time?

After completing my 4-year course at Sheffield Hallam University, I would have hopefully achieved a BEng Hon Electrical & Electronic Engineering degree. With also having 5 years’ experience working for Waldeck, I would hopefully like to have a higher role within the department. This would come with more responsibility which I am willing to take to add benefit to the company.

In the face of a skills gap and lack of people choosing a career in STEM subjects, how would you inspire someone, to take a similar route into the workplace?

Apprenticeships are available in a wide range of subjects nowadays, especially in STEM subjects. STEM apprenticeships allow for people who have a key interest in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths departments to get into the world of work, as well as working towards a great qualification.

The career opportunities for these subjects are endless and you’ll never get bored working in this industry, which is why I highly recommend any young person to take up this route.

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Find out more about one of our other apprentices, Finley Nottingham in his recent interview >