Worthing career changer switches on to power apprenticeship

A barber, zoo worker and a brewer are among the 28 recruits switching on to two-year experienced craft apprenticeships with Britain’s biggest electricity distribution network.

Over the next two years they will retrain as overhead linespeople working at height, substation fitters and underground cable jointers, becoming experts at keeping power supplies safely and reliably flowing for 8.5 million homes and businesses across London, the South East and East of England.

Foundation apprentices complete the programme in three years, while those with experience from other sectors cover exactly the same course, intensively in just two years. College courses and practical skills gained at the company’s bespoke training centres in Kent and Suffolk, are practised under close supervision on-the-job.

Climbing to new heights in his career, Adam Dean, 19, from Worthing, worked for a precision engineering firm before joining UK Power Networks as an apprentice overhead linesperson in Southwick, Brighton.

The former Worthing High School and Chichester College student was overjoyed to get the job and said he already felt part of the team. Adam said: “It was surreal to know I had got the job. I felt like my whole life had changed for the better.

“From a young age I learnt I was dyslexic. I knew academic work wouldn’t be my strong suit, so that helped me develop my practical skills and focus on engineering. It was more hands on than most other jobs and the idea of working with my hands and less focus on writing things down appealed to me.”

Charlie Aston, engineering trainee manager at UK Power Networks, said: “Apprenticeships aren’t just for school leavers and this year we’ve welcomed a total of 54 experienced apprentices. This group have reached a junction in their life where they want to try something new.”

Changing career can be unnerving but for many it’s a chance to follow their dream. In a survey of career changers, carried out by Joblist, 77 per cent felt happier and 75 per cent felt more fulfilled after taking the plunge.

Charlie added: “Our experienced apprentices view this chance to retrain while earning, as a ‘golden ticket’ which is an exciting gateway to the rest of their career.

“We don’t always know at 16 what we want to do when we’re 30 and we are seeing an enthusiastic pipeline of talent with itchy career feet who have transferrable skills, life experience and are waiting for that opportunity to gain new skills and experience in their chosen career.”

This autumn’s apprentices are the firm’s second cohort of 2023, which totals 54 apprenticeships and a similar number will be recruited next year. There were 907 applications for the latest 28 posts, showing strong demand for the experienced apprenticeship. Foundation apprenticeships continue to be an important part of the company’s strategy, coupled with experienced apprentices who are fast-tracked through the same programme in two years instead of three.