Meet Andrew
Metering Electrician and Qualified Apprentice
I’m a Metering Electrician and joined NIE Networks through the 2020 Apprenticeship recruitment.
I was already working in construction and wanted to stay in that line of work but with a secure and stable company. NIE Networks appealed to me because of all the good reports I had heard about the company and how well they look after their staff. I also knew that they encourage their staff to push on in their career and work their way up in the company. The apprenticeship seemed like the perfect way to upskill, develop my personal skills and try to better myself.
There are a lot of good aspects to the apprenticeship, you get paid a good solid wage as an apprentice, you get all the training and development you need and you meet new people from across the company.
I was paired with a few mentors during my apprenticeship who were all very helpful and still are to this day. We still stay in contact on a day to day basis. The training staff are very helpful throughout the apprenticeship, they’re always there to help you with any problems you have and they give you support or guidance where you need it. I never once felt like I was left in the dark or forgotten about as an apprentice.
Now I’m out of my apprenticeship I work solo from day to day, but have developed a lot of friendships with fellow apprentices, mentors and other staff I’ve met along the way. We talk to each other almost every day and if I have queries I would pick up the phone and ask, so even though I work alone it still feels like I’m part of a team.
Each day I work my way through 8 to 10 jobs depending on how long they take. Having a customer- facing role and meeting new customers every day is nice. I enjoy hearing stories and getting to move round the region every day as it helps change it up as well.
My hope for the future is to keep progressing in the company whether it be in my current role or in another field of work, management or safety.