Early this year we met two electrical apprentices employed by m&e contractor T Clarke under the JTL Advanced Apprenticeship scheme. Alison Luke checks on their progress and hears of their very different ambitions for the future.

Sean Honan

When EMC first met Sean Honan he had recently completed his apprenticeship and was working on the BP International fit-out at Canary Wharf, London (‘Skilling time’, EMC, March 2005, p19-20). Now involved in the fit-out of DrKW, part of Dresdner Bank, he is approaching his first complete year as a qualified electrician and is preparing to return to college to do the City & Guilds 2391.

Gaining approval

“In order to become an approved electrician he needs to gain his City & Guilds 2391 plus two years experience on the tools,” explains T Clarke’s labour manager John Burrows. “He’s now a year out of his time and we are entering into a scheme to put 23 apprentices who are at the same stage through the course. We’ve negotiated block funding [from JTL] and are trying to organise a course through a college so that we can put them all through at a similar time.”

This block process is unusual. It is part of an opportunity from JTL that sees the training provider funding the inspection, testing and certification course for recently qualified apprentices that meet specified criteria.

“Once he’s done the course, and with a further year’s experience, that will enable him to become an approved electrician,” Burrows adds.

Taking responsibility

Honan has taken on more responsibility since completing his apprenticeship and on his current job he is running a small area under the guidance of the site supervisor.

Burrows confirms: “Sean has shown a flair for running his own section of works and operatives. Here he’s running two main electrical rooms and overseeing the installation of the services, albeit that is closely overseen by the main site supervisor.”

“I’ve been given the drawings and, basically, it’s everything from scratch,” says Honan. “I read off the drawings, plan, measure to scale, do a take-off sheet and order what’s needed, then carry out the installation.” He is working with other electricians and helping to supervise apprentices.

Since completing his apprenticeship, he has added to his skills with training in the safe erection and use of mobile towers and the safe use of cartridge firing fixing tools.

“In terms of specialisms after apprenticeship, quite often it is job specific,” explains Burrows. Honan agrees, “There are courses you can do but then there’s a question ‘do we need that on site at the moment?’” When opportunities do arise for operatives to expand their knowledge T Clarke is quick to respond, says Honan: “Say scissor lifts are being used and you are working in that area, they’ll put you forward for training in their use.”

Future ambitions

Looking past his City & Guilds 2391 course, Sean is aiming to increase his responsibility on site.

“I’d like to be a supervisor or foreman on site. I don’t think I could see myself in an office day-to-day – on site you’re doing different things and dealing with the practical side of the job,” he says.

Both Burrows and Honan’s on-site supervisor Jason Bovey concur with his ambition. “The fact that he’s an electrician at the moment restricts how much responsibility we can put on him,” says Burrows. “But as his experience grows and he becomes an approved electrician, I’m sure that he will make a good chargehand, and from there he’ll progress to become a foreman.”

Mark Hoare

In the last nine months, Mark Hoare has progressed leaps and bounds and gained recognition from Burrows and his supervisors for a potential engineering role in future.

He has now completed all eight units of City & Guilds 2351 and advanced to stage three of his apprenticeship. He has continued to work at the BP International site in Canary Wharf and is now compiling his stage three logbook.

Making progress

“Noel Burton, my training officer, has set me a goal to finish my third logbook by Christmas,” says Hoare. “You’ve got within the time period of the year, but if you feel you can complete it before then you have the opportunity to do so – you can set yourself a goal in agreement with the college. As long as you’ve done the work you can fill it in,” he adds.

To help their apprentices T Clarke operates a series of logbook workshops. These are run by Noel Burton and involve small groups of apprentices coming together at the firm’s offices to make sure that they understand what is required of them and they are on track with their logbooks.

Hoare has attended sessions in the past few months. He is aware that the successful completion of this logbook is essential before he can progress to the next stage of his apprenticeship – the AM2.

“Before we book him an AM2 test place we stipulate that apprentices must have completed their stage 3 – the logbook is part of the NVQ3 qualifying criteria,” stresses Burrows. “At the moment the waiting time for the exam is pretty good; I’d say Mark would qualify for his AM2 about June/July 2006.”

Skills selection

On site Hoare’s training is now focusing on testing and commissioning and the safe isolation of live systems.

He has passed the two final exams – fault-finding and management skills – in his college course since the last meeting and has also received training in the safe erection of scaffold towers.

In practical terms, to finish his third logbook he has one area still to complete – the provision of technical and functional information. “I generally find that one the most difficult to do,” he admits. He has, though, already helped to compile the O&M manuals for his current job. “The site I’m working on is nearing completion so there’ll be loads of information I’ll be able to use for my logbook as it’s the end of the job and that’s when we tend to give over O&M manuals to the client,” he adds.

Hoare’s favoured tasks still include testing and commissioning, although he has added the termination of distribution boards to his list. “There’s a bit of an art to it,” he explains.

Future focus

Looking long-term, he has ambitions to enter the engineering side of the industry. “I plan to do an ONC or HNC in electrical engineering when I finish my apprenticeship,” he confirms. He has no plans to leave T Clarke to do this as he knows the firm supports apprentices who wish to progress.

“Quite often we’ll get an inkling from an apprentice if they are interested in moving on through the industry and we’ll bring them into the office and try them out on various pieces of work,” states Burrows. “If we see a flair we will encourage them to further education and from there they might be encouraged to take up an engineering role.” The courses are generally done on a part-time basis, with the firm refunding the college fees to the apprentice on graduation.

“Within the industry there is a good structure and way of advancement up the ladder,” assures Burrows. “Most of our technical directors have been apprentices with the company, the joint mds are ex-apprentices, so there is that scope for a structured climb.”

On a practical side, a move to another project is imminent. Burrows explains: “He may well come [to the DrKW fit-out] next. He’s done lots of testing at BP International, so we need to broaden his horizons and do more installation works if possible.”

Funding for future skills

From 1 August 2005 to 31 July 2006, JTL’s financial support package available to employers of electrical installation, plumbing and engineering maintenance apprentices from is as follows:

  • JTL will fund all off-the-job training, Key Skills and NVQ registration, assessment and exam fees;
  • JTL will pay for first time exam fees;
  • a contribution will be made towards two attempts at the AM2 test when it is booked before the end of the fourth year of apprenticeship;
  • JTL will fund the City & Guilds 2391 course for recently qualified apprentices who meet set criteria.

The employer must pay the apprentice’s salary in line with industry standards, travel expenses to training venues, plus the costs of any pre-employment medical and personal protective equipment.

Due to limited government funding, JTL is restricting the number of apprentices over 19 years old entering the scheme. It is possible in future years that employers will need to contribute towards the cost of training such apprentices.

Source

Electrical and Mechanical Contractor