This year, Josh followed his second place in SERC’s Intercampus Electrical Installation competition with a first place at the SkillBuild NI Regional Finals.
Josh (20) from Newcastle said, “My dad worked in the electrical industry and, although I was keen to follow in his footsteps with an apprenticeship, he was keen for me to do my A levels in case I didn’t like it and wanted to do something else. So, I have A levels in Chemistry, Maths, and ICT which I completed at Shimna College. I had applied to go to university but had also applied to the Level 3 Apprenticeship in Electrical Installation at SERC. Securing employment with Irwin M & E was the clincher for me, so I took the apprenticeship route and have never looked back.”
He added, “I loved the apprenticeship and made a real effort to crack on with the work to get it completed as soon as possible - now that I've completed my final exam, I've completed the course ahead of schedule.”
Speaking about his interest in the electrical industry, he said, “When my brother and I were children, we would have been doing stuff about the house with my dad - back then he had his own business - so it was always something familiar and something that was of interest to me.”
Joshua’s father passed away when he was completing his apprenticeship. He said, “It was a difficult time for me and my family, but I think my father would have been proud of all I have achieved to date.”
He continued, “I have been with Irwin's for the duration of my apprenticeship. They are a great employer and have been very supportive of my apprenticeship journey. I loved the work and got a work van, so was out and about on different jobs – mostly covering our contracts for public sector buildings and schools in the Newry, Mourne and Down area.
“I also enjoyed coming to SERC one day a week. College is completely different from school; it is a bit more relaxed, but you are employed and working so it is important to keep on top of the learning. I just kept chipping away at the coursework and keeping on top of all the work, so I was ready for the exams when they came around and this helped me to knock a year off the apprenticeship, which has been fantastic.”
Reflecting on his route to the apprenticeship, Josh said, “I don’t regret doing my A levels, but I suppose if I had gained some work experience after my GCSEs and realised then I was going to like the work, I would have gone straight on to the apprenticeship. I would certainly recommend anyone thinking of an apprenticeship to get work experience in their chosen discipline to ensure they like the work. When I went for the apprenticeship with Irwins, it was a three-step interview process – electrical apprenticeships are competitive – so if you can show you have gone the extra mile to get some experience, it will give you the edge when applying for jobs.”
Besides gearing up to complete his apprenticeship, Josh has also enjoyed some competition success this year. He said, “I came second in the Intercampus competition and the points awarded meant I was eligible for the SkillBuild NI Regional Finals and was delighted to lift first place in the Electrical Installation Competition."
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