Electrical Apprentice - Alfie Loten

Did you come from school or college:

I came straight from school, I had my interviews before I completed my GCSEs.

When I had finished school and completed my last exam, I actually had a week off and then I started.

So how did you hear about the position?

I knew I wanted an apprenticeship in my last year at school so I was applying for as many as I could find, probably at least a hundred! I didn't really get much response which is why I continued to search and apply to so many in total.

In the end it was through a friend of my fathers who works at CBRE and knows some of the staff at Metropolitan and their annual apprentice recruitment drive. He passed on my CV and I managed to get an interview.

Did you always want to do an Apprenticeship?

My dad’s a plumber and I’ve worked with him a fair bit when I was younger, so I always knew I wanted to work “on the tools" per-se.

I enjoyed school and am not exactly un-academic, but I really wanted to come out of school and earn money. My Dad did an apprenticeship and said it was the best thing he did, to earn and learn at the same time, he did really influence my decision.

Why did you choose to do Electrical?

My dad was a plumber and I was keen to do something different. I was also more interested in the type of work and some of the technical aspects. I also couldn't help being influenced by all the rumors of electricians earning good money!

How did you find the application process?

I sent my CV in and I got an invite to a round 1 interview with a number of other candidates.

We discussed my CV content and what I wanted to do in the future.

I was told I would hear back within a week and I was fortunate enough to be invited to a second interview where I was asked to complete a few small exams, nothing major, but I think to really gauge a bit of an academic baseline. I was also asked to complete a task where I had to build something.

After that I was told that they would be in contact again within a week and I was fortunate enough to be one of the 2 apprentices taken on at that time.

Was there any kind of onboarding process?

I had two kinds of enrollment, one with the company for meeting my team, uniform fitout and various HR and Safety briefings, and another with the college for the academic and training side of the apprenticeship which gives me the Level 3 City and Guilds.

So how are things going and how far are you through the scheme?

I’ve really enjoyed working at Metropolitan and my apprenticeship. I started in 2019 so I’m now in my final year. I’ve completed the academic and exam side of the City & Guilds qualification over 3 years with lots of units and exams each year. I now have no college, but I need to spend this final year assembling my portfolio of evidence of works I have completed and there are also some on-site visits.

So now you are in your 4th year and working on site 5 days a week, would you say you are doing more complex work and tasks?

The first year you pretty much just shadow someone, learn the basics, how to use tools, ask questions and as always - clean and tidy up! But as you gain the trust and confidence of peers they do start to give you very small tasks to complete, this happened for me at the end of my 1st year. As an apprentice you are never going to be on site on your own as you are not yet classed as a competent person, so there is always a qualified spark there.

However now I’m in my 4th year I’m regularly given tasks to go and do.

Do you like working at Group Metropolitan and have you been well supported?

I really enjoy working here and I’ve been really well supported throughout my apprenticeship, there are lots of people to speak to if I need to ask any questions or need some advice, nothing seems like too much trouble.

So you will soon be finishing your apprenticeship, what do you get at the end?

So once I am completed I will get my Gold card which is a certification as a fully qualified electrician. Which means I can go anywhere for work with evidence of my status and experience in the field.

Is there anywhere you can go further with qualification after completion?

I believe there is a level 4 which is more related to testing and inspection, so it depends really what direction you want your career to go in. For now I’m happy with the current type of work I’m doing, so I will probably just work for a few years and see how I feel later down the line.

So would you recommend an apprenticeship to others?

Definitely, I think with trades it's the only way to go. Whilst you learn all the theory of Electrical work at college, there is so much more to learn in the day to day such as; site working, health and safety, people skills and communication etc. These were just as important for me during my apprenticeship and some of these things are just not taught but gained with experience on the job.