Пълният препис на WorkWise Apprenticeship Podcast Season 2, Episode 3: From Electrician to Electrical Manager with Paul Whitter

WEBVTT 00:00:00.239 --> 00:00:03.359 Welcome to the WorkWise Apprenticeship Podcast. 00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:13.439 If you're thinking about starting an apprenticeship, you're unsure of what your next step might be, or you simply want to hear from people who are already doing these jobs, then you're in the right place. 00:00:13.679 --> 00:00:20.399 The interviewers and apprentices you'll hear throughout this podcast aren't professional broadcasters or media trained guests. 00:00:20.559 --> 00:00:30.640 They volunteered to take part because, just like you, they want the next generation to understand the opportunities available and make informed choices about their future. 00:00:30.879 --> 00:00:36.399 So let's meet our guests and hear their stories on the WorkWise Apprenticeship Podcast. 00:00:42.159 --> 00:00:45.759 Great job! Welcome to the WorkWise Podcast. 00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:50.479 I'm Jacob Sharp and I am joined by Paul Witter, Electrical Manager at Mountjoy. 00:00:50.799 --> 00:00:51.600 How are you doing today, Paul? 00:00:51.679 --> 00:00:52.000 You okay? 00:00:52.240 --> 00:00:53.119 I'm doing fine, thank you. 00:00:53.359 --> 00:01:03.679 So ExpressFM has partnered with Mountjoy and the city of Ports of College to launch WorkWise, a new project designed to give young people practical insight into careers and training opportunities. 00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:14.319 So the first question I want to ask you, Paul, is when an apprentice first walks through the door, what are you looking for from them before they've even had a chance to prove their technical skills? 00:01:14.640 --> 00:01:26.879 Um I think when they first walk through the door, I'm looking for a smile, uh a welcoming smile, looking walking through with a bit of confidence and just smartly dressed. 00:01:27.280 --> 00:01:35.680 And what separates an apprentice who's doing okay from what the one who really stands out and makes you think we want to keep this person going? 00:01:36.159 --> 00:02:05.680 I think um if they're on site then we'd expect an apprentice to get the tools ready, get the materials ready, ask questions, be proactive in what they're doing each day, always turn up on time, be smart, be polite to the customers, and just be uh doing well at college as well, that's important, but just to be proactive rather than just sitting there waiting to be asked a question or asked to do something. 00:02:06.079 --> 00:02:24.560 Yes, I'm guessing like you when you're there, it's kind of that thing of like being practical, you know, like you said there, turning up on time, being that p kind of person who wants to be in the room where you know you just feel like yourself and you just come into the to the work to the the to the place where you feel like somewhere different from the others. 00:02:24.879 --> 00:02:32.800 Yeah, yeah, it it's um th that they're in the workplace, that they're there to work and learn, so we expect them to work and learn. 00:02:32.960 --> 00:02:37.759 It's no good having a somebody who's just sits there on his phone in the corner all the time. 00:02:37.919 --> 00:02:41.360 That's that's not good for for us and good good for the company. 00:02:41.759 --> 00:02:42.159 Exactly. 00:02:42.240 --> 00:02:46.960 And what would you say is a good learning process for someone who wants to come in? 00:02:47.280 --> 00:03:08.159 Okay, I think they need to to research the um research for in my case electrical work, they need to research what sort of type of work they're going to carry out, what they need to do to gain their qualifications, and what they need to do to pass their uh portfolios, because they get a portfolio with practical skills in there, they need to pre-read that. 00:03:08.240 --> 00:03:10.400 So it just doesn't come as a shock to them. 00:03:10.560 --> 00:03:13.280 It's all there ready and they know what what to do going forward. 00:03:13.680 --> 00:03:17.919 And what would you say they have to put into that portfolio in terms of skills? 00:03:18.319 --> 00:03:29.599 Um It's just the learning that they carry out on site, so they need to do take photographs of the work they've done and they need to have an explanation of how they carried out that that work. 00:03:29.840 --> 00:03:36.479 So they must know that when they're doing the job, they must know how to do it to put that onto paper afterwards. 00:03:36.960 --> 00:03:42.000 And young people sometimes worry they'll be expected to know everything from day one. 00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:46.319 What do you actually expect an apprentice to know when they first start? 00:03:46.960 --> 00:03:47.520 Nothing. 00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:48.000 I think. 00:03:48.319 --> 00:03:50.800 Yeah, no, I'm quite happy for somebody to come in. 00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:55.039 They obviously interested in um the electrical side of things. 00:03:55.280 --> 00:04:04.560 And if they come in knowing absolutely nothing, that's fine, but they must be willing to learn that subject that they're i in interested in. 00:04:05.360 --> 00:04:24.240 Obviously, when they start with us, they haven't done anything, no college work, no on-site experience, so I I can't expect them to know stuff, so it's always good to let them know look, we're not afraid that you don't know nothing, let's just come through and then we'll we'll teach you to get to where you want to be. 00:04:24.480 --> 00:04:30.240 So I'm guessing like that goes with like the learning process of things, building each time, learning new things when you start. 00:04:30.480 --> 00:04:31.920 Yep, that's perfect, yeah. 00:04:32.240 --> 00:04:41.519 And from an employer's point of view, why does the apprenticeship system work and what do you gain from developing somebody rather than simply recruiting someone who's already been qualified? 00:04:41.839 --> 00:04:54.000 I think um if somebody's already qualified, there's a lot of companies that are that are art of people and it becomes a bit of a bit of a market which causes us