A BRIGHT spark who runs an electrician company has taken on three apprentices to give them the perfect grounding in the required skills.
Having served as an apprentice electrician 20 years ago, Andy Wood has now taken on three apprentice ’sparkies’ at his company Hertz Electrical Contractors.
They are busy training up with the required knowledge and skills, not least around the installation of solar panels and other new technology which has become a significant part of the job.
Andy, who founded his business 13 years ago, received £2,000 towards each apprenticeship from Warwickshire County Council’s Future Apprenticeships: Salary Support Programme, through Warwickshire Skills Hub.
He said: “Apprenticeships are a fantastic concept. They are learning exactly what is relevant to the trade now.
“As a business we are keen to boost our grasp of technology with solar energy and energy-saving solutions. We need to focus on that and keep right up to date because it will be an important segment of our business going forward.
“Our industry was quite basic 20 years ago – just sockets and lights – whereas now there are so many avenues to it like solar panels and electric vehicles.
“There are now sub-industries within our industry. 20 per cent of our business is in things that didn’t exist 20 years ago and by taking on these apprentices, we can take them through from not knowing anything in our world to knowing everything they need to know.”
Andy can vouch from first-hand experience for the value of apprenticeships as an alternative to university for school and college-leavers.
“When I left school 20 years ago, apprenticeships weren’t really available because education just pushed you towards university, but that is not the right fit for everyone,” he said.
“I didn’t find classroom learning enjoyable and just didn’t get book-based teaching, so university would have been a waste of four years.
“Then I started the apprenticeship and thought, ‘this is great, we are learning about something and doing it at the same time. I learnt so much this way because we were not just sat there doing theory all day.
“Apprenticeships are brilliant opportunities for young people who for whatever reason did not really engage with school and college.”
Warwickshire Skills Hub has several schemes which offer support to SMEs looking to take on apprentices.
Warwickshire County Council’s economy spokesman Coun Martin Watson said: “Apprenticeships are a wonderful way to teach skills which enhance both the apprentice and their employer.
“I am delighted that the Future Apprenticeships: Salary Support Programme has proved of such value to Andy, helping his business to grow and to support the community around it.”
Visit www.cwgrowthhub.co.uk for more information about business support from Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub.
