Blazing a trail for adult entrants

5/3/19: Adult Trainees join TClarke from all walks of life. TClarke’s apprenticeship scheme stands out for them because the quality of the programme is so high and the support systems for apprentices are so well established.

Emily Lyons – Second Year Apprentice – London

The thing with TClarke is that you have the opportunity to work on the big projects – like 100 Bishopsgate. It is a challenge but also an amazing experience that you don’t get everywhere.

I’m now almost half way through my second year and it’s going really well. I’ve been working very hard and been given quite a lot of opportunity and responsibility, working at 100 Bishopsgate on lighting controls.

At 22, I am a little bit older and my motivation is high. I had previously completed GCSEs and A levels and been working for a few years, before I decided that I needed a career. 

The thing with TClarke is that you have the opportunity to work on the big projects – like 100 Bishopsgate. For the last few months I’ve been working with the Commissioning Manager.  Understanding Lighting controls on a job of this scale is a challenge, but also an amazing experience that you don’t get everywhere.

My sense of TClarke is that people are 100% dedicated to getting the job done and people do help you – not just onsite, but Maggie, the apprentice co-ordinator and the JTL tutors. 

What’s amazing is that my role as an apprentice electrician here at 100 Bishopsgate is already showing me all kinds of ways in which electrical skills and knowledge are merging and crossing over with the digital skills involved in complex control systems. With TClarke, you know you are at the forefront of the technology.

Ashley Lawson – Second Year Apprentice – London

Changing career was one of best decisions I ever made. Working for TClarke, I have a lot of opportunities and once qualified, I could have the option to go into testing and supervising. I can’t really look futher than that, as it is a long way off and I still have lots to learn.

I’m Ashley Lawson, a 2nd Year Apprentice currently working at 100 Bishopsgate. Four years ago, I was working in insurance, hitting all my sales targets and doing well – but honestly, I didn’t enjoy it. At the same time, I realised that to progress my insurance career, I would need to study and get some professional qualifications – but I wondered ‘do I really want to stay in this kind of work?’. My honest answer was no – so after a lot of thought, I decided to go back into something I enjoyed and for me, that meant getting a trade and becoming an electrician. 

You are never too old to retrain and do something you enjoy, so I thought ‘I can do this!’ I asked around, talked to lots of people with knowledge and a TClarke apprenticeship soon became my goal. Happily I achieved it.

My first job was in Hammersmith at Lyric Square. This was a CAT A fit out. I was there for about 11 months, so I saw the building change a lot. I was working closely with a ‘spark’ – and that gave me lots of knowledge that I have used going forward on my current job at 100 Bishopsgate. 

I’m currently working with the famous Steve Gorey. He’s a great ‘spark’ and has given me a lot of his time, to help me progress to where I am now – particularly in working on containment and understanding wiring and drawings better than before. 

Changing career was one of best decisions I ever made. Working for TClarke, I have a lot of opportunities and once qualified, I could have the option to go into testing and supervising.

Ben Hall – Second Year Apprentice – North

While working at Nissan I realised that working on the production line wasn’t for me, so I began the process of applying for electrical apprenticeships…

My name is Ben Hall and I am a 2nd year apprentice at TClarke. Before joining TClarke, I worked for Nissan Manufacturing UK, at their Sunderland plant, on the production line. While working at Nissan I realised that the production line wasn’t for me, so I began the process of applying for electrical apprenticeships, as this is the type of industry I had wanted to be a part of since I had left school.

I joined TClarke in November 2017 and I started on the Park View Student Accommodation projects in Newcastle and within just a few weeks of being on the job, I had learned a lot in relation to first fixing and second fixing. Also, I felt welcomed straightaway by the rest of the TClarke team, which is always the biggest fear when you start a new job. 

Alongside working on site, I also attended Newcastle College, to work towards my level three and 18th Edition, which I have now achieved in recent weeks.

TClarke’s attention to Health and Safety is very strong; for example the ‘You See, You Say’ cards. These cards help you report any health and safety concerns you have and to have the concerns addressed. My aims and goals for the future are to complete the rest of my apprenticeship and to become an Approved Electrician and then look to pursue a career as a Supervisor.