Alex’s Skills Up to Standard on Fire and Security Apprenticeship

WorldSkills UK 2025 Finalist and Level 3 Apprenticeship NI in Fire and Security Systems student Alex Punyer (19) from Bangor, is gaining the qualifications and training he needs to succeed in the fire and security industry through studying at SERC.  

After completing his GCSEs, Alex realised that classroom education wasn’t for him – he says, “While I passed all my GCSEs, except for maths, I had always been interested in fire and security and began researching my options online for that instead of going back to school. I found the apprenticeship at SERC and decided to attend an open evening on campus and talk to the fire and security tutors. The apprenticeship offered all the qualifications I wanted, and I was even able to complete an Essential Skills Numeracy course alongside my apprenticeship so I could get a maths qualification. On top of that, the campus I would be studying in was local and easy to get to, so it just made sense to come to SERC.”  

“Working with fire safety systems is my favourite aspect of the apprenticeship. You get a whole book of fire regulations, which basically gives you a schematic of how all work should be done, so the rules and instructions for practical tasks are clear and easy to follow. This, combined with the work we do on site and in the workshop, makes it feel like my strong suit on the course. Aside from fire safety systems, we also learn about and work with other systems like access control, CCTV and intruder detection.”  

“I’m employed by ADT Fire and Security, one of the biggest companies in the sector. I am mostly working with fire alarms, reconfiguring them to make sure they are maintained properly and up to regulation standard. I also do a bit of work on intruder systems, mostly during holidays when businesses close to make sure buildings are secure. There isn’t just one set site to work at, so I get to travel to do the work all around Northern Ireland and sometimes the Republic of Ireland. The pay is good, I get excellent training on the different fire products, panels and software. I have excellent mentors and my line manager at ADT helps and guides me every step of the way. My successes are always acknowledged.”  

Alex will be competing in the WorldSkills UK National Finals which is set to begin on 26 November 2025 in Wales. Alex says, “The SERC tutors have really nurtured my keenness to learn, teaching me why things are done the way they are and not just how they are done in the industry, so I feel confident in my own abilities. WorldSkills have sent out specs of what we need to do for the finals so right now my plan is to learn how to use the systems they’ve mentioned in the specs, but I’m always up for a challenge. I’ll be competing alongside other SERC students, so I wish them all the best.”  

Alex concludes, “I’d recommend SERC. The tutors are brilliant, the training facilities are great, and we get to use the most up-to-date tools, software, and information, so we are learning things that are current and relevant to the industry right now.”  

Register to join the WorldSkills UK National Finals Livestream 26 – 27 November.