Tom Ellis – One year on

When Tom was 16 the careers advice he received seemed to be directing him to A levels or a college course, he knew very little about apprenticeships. His next step was therefore to start an A level course, however he didn’t enjoy it and felt that he needed to do something more practical, he felt engineering would be right for him, so he researched apprenticeships, applied for an Electrical Engineering opportunity with Danvac and hasn’t looked back.
Danvac manufactures, supplies and services vacuum lifting equipment and Tom has been involved in all aspects of the business.
Working alongside skilled engineers who he comments, have been so helpful, Tom has learned quickly and is now taking on jobs on his own. The work is very diverse, from making control panels to going out servicing on site and he thoroughly enjoys the job. Tom is also learning a great deal from his day release course at SBC Training where he has successfully completed all the modules so far. The eighteen month course will see him qualify at level 2 in engineering and discussion are already underway about progression to technician level 3.
When asked would you recommend an apprenticeship? Tom replied “I would without a doubt recommend an apprenticeship. It allows you to gain access to a career path whilst learning skills, whether that be technical or communication skills. Apprenticeships give you the unique opportunity to apply knowledge you have learnt in the classroom to the workplace and allows you to physically see the progression you are making which is a great feeling of achievement. SBC Training offers a much more tailored course, as they are able to hand pick units from the engineering syllabus, which makes the apprenticeship more job specific.”
A great ambassador for apprenticeships, well done Tom.