World Youth Skills Day 2022

World Youth Skills Day celebrates the importance of equipping young people with skills for employment to create the workforce of the future. We are big believers in championing and providing opportunities to all our team – our younger staff included.

We spoke with some of the team at ETB to hear about the skills they’ve developed through their work with us:

Tell us a bit about what you do at ETB?

Connor: I’m an online product administrator – the job involves creating new listings for our website, updating listings that are already live and generally making sure that the customer’s experience on the ETB website is smooth. This can include thorough research about compatibility and usability of our products, as well as cross referencing previous sale orders and quotes to figure out what are the most popular parts for the customer. When I’m not keeping on top of our current listings, I’m normally researching and planning new products for us to put on the website. I focus on brand new 15th generation Dell servers and Supermicro servers.

Joseph: I’m an outbound server technician. In this position I work alongside two other technicians to turn sales orders into working machines and get them through to the warehouse as quickly as possible so they can then be sent to customers. We do everything from updating systems, running diagnostics to ensure systems are at peak performance, scanning in hard drives and cleaning servers to give our customers as close to a new product as possible.

Sam: I’m an IT engineering operative which involves stripping and testing parts from the different companies that we buy from to be refurbished for ETB. Servers and parts come in to be tested and stripped to make sure they are suitable to go on to sale by myself and my colleague Murray. Once we’re happy, the parts will be sent down to the warehouse and processed for the website to go on sale.?

Stephen: I work within the e-commerce/web sales team, managing and reporting on a set of product listings. I find new ways to list our products, present information to customers and work to improve the performance and visibility of our products, through our website and other online marketplaces. I’m also constantly researching our competitors’ websites to find out what they do differently (better or worse) and make sure we are offering the best prices possible to our customers.

How did you get into the job?

Connor: I heard about ETB from friends who have worked here. They always said how amazing it is as a workplace and a company. I’ve always been interested in technology and have a passion for computing. So as soon as I heard about an opening I applied, and was interviewed a week later.

Joseph: I’ve been interested in IT since I was about 6 years old as my dad and two uncles work in the sector. I managed to teach myself the basics before starting an apprenticeship in 2017. I originally applied for a warehouse role at ETB, but was offered a position as an engineer which was a much better fit for me.

Sam: I knew two people that worked for ETB, and they told me how good the company was and how well they treated their employees. I handed in my CV on the off chance, and when a role came up they brought me in for an interview and I’ve been here ever since.

Stephen: I was working as an apprentice butcher, but on the side I had been creating websites and e-commerce solutions for local businesses, as well as getting interested in website work and sales. ?So, when I saw a role at ETB, I decided to apply. I didn’t get it initially, but ETB kept my CV on record and called me a month or so later with an offer for the role I’m in now.

How have your skills developed since taking the job?

Connor: My skills have grown a lot since I first started. Because of the daily challenges we come across, I’ve become very good at referencing documentation, researching and collecting data (both through colleague’s knowledge as well as on manufacturer tech guides and internet articles). To reduce the manual work we do every day, I’ve created complex excel programs and dashboards which use downloadable data and then analyse it to automatically tell us which of our listings are out of stock. I’ve also created programs to analyse invoices to break down the most common combination of components we sell alongside our servers .

Joseph: I’ve strengthened my skills in many areas, mainly being able to confidently work with different server types such as HP, Lenovo and SuperMicro which I previously had little experience with. I’ve also been working to gain additional qualifications through Dumfries & Galloway College and the Cisco Networking Academy to help increase my knowledge and ability in my role. ?

Sam: When I first started at ETB, I was very shy, but the team made me feel very welcome which built my confidence. When I first joined ETB, I had no knowledge of servers and feared I wouldn’t get the hang of it, but the team have supported me through training and advice, and I love what I do now.

Stephen: When I joined the company, I didn’t know a great deal about the products we sell. This changed very quickly, with lots of knowledgeable people to ask and a personal plan for development. I now feel very confident within my product knowledge and skills. The environment in the office is great, and really fosters development.

What are your career aspirations for the future?

Connor: My hope is to climb the ladder at ETB. I thoroughly enjoy my job and ?love the feeling of working on a model and making a sale – or helping my colleagues with a new system that they have questions about. If I could grow this aspect in the future to take on a more analytical role that would take me further in the company, then that would be amazing.

Joseph: I would like to further my understanding of networking equipment and potentially pursue this as a specialist field, setting up networks, Wi-Fi and ethernet connections for large companies.

Sam: My career aspirations in the future are to become fully qualified IT engineer with ETB.

Stephen: I’d like to move into a more senior sales/e-commerce specialist role in the coming years. Looking at the market and what we have to offer, then looking at how to present it on the website in an easy to understand, customer-friendly way all while providing great value for money is what I’ve been learning about recently and what I see myself doing going forward.

What’s the coolest / best thing you’ve learned in your role?

Connor: The coolest thing I’ve learned is probably the most boring, I love the nuance of the job and learning about new components. So, when we get a special system that is quite obscure, I spend hours diving into its use and any cool features it has.

Joseph: It would have to be how to increase my work rate to be able to process a larger number of servers within the same timeframe. In the year since I started at the company our average server per day went up and has continued to a point where between three technicians, we are sometimes processing over 300 servers per month, which is really cool to be part of.??

Sam: The best thing I’ve learned at ETB is the product testing work we do. Murray, another member of my team has been training me on what to look for and how do to run the tests, and when I get more practice, I will hopefully be able to do this on my own.

Stephen: The coolest thing I’ve learned is about all the tech that powers businesses, processes, and consumers daily. I find it interesting learning what our customers need from their tech configurations, and what products available will help them achieve that. Learning about how our website really works and now actively helping to manage it is really cool too.

What’s the most exciting thing about working in tech?

Connor: It is definitely about getting new systems and components in. The process of inspecting a product, researching it and then listing it is really satisfying. Then when we sell one of the models that I’ve spent months researching, you get a real sense of doing your part for the success of the company.

Joseph: The most exciting thing about working in tech is that it’s always changing and updating to better hardware and programs. There’s always more to learn and the further you progress through your education and develop your skills the more that becomes available to you.

Sam: I always get a buzz from working on different parts, servers and components every day. It makes your workday more challenging and more exciting. Also, having a really good work team makes your day more enjoyable.?

Stephen: It's always evolving, with newer, more powerful, and more efficient systems being released year on year. Computers, servers, and networking may look completely different in just a few years’ time, and it's exciting to be a part of. And, at ETB Technologies, we sell these systems and parts after a thorough refurbishment, which not only is eco-friendly, reducing manufacturing materials and better for the planet going forward, but also allows us to offer massive savings to our customers compared with brand new equipment.

To find out more about what we do at ETB, visit us today.