Electricity North West is marking National Apprenticeship Week with its biggest ever apprentice recruitment drive creating more green jobs as it works towards a net zero carbon future.
The firm, which operates the North West’s power network, is calling for 30 new apprentices to join the business in roles from IT project management and cyber security to engineers and overhead line workers.
The call comes as the UK marks National Apprenticeship Week 2022, the 15th annual celebration of apprenticeships, which takes place between 7th and 13th February.
The three-year apprenticeships are open to anyone aged 16 and over, who will gain on-the-job experience while also attending the company’s state-of-the-art Training Academy in Blackburn.
One person with first-hand experience of the award-winning scheme is 22-year-old Paddy Kelly, from Kirkham in Lancashire, who joined Electricity North West as an apprentice overhead linesperson straight from school in 2018.
He has now successfully completed his apprenticeship and is looking forward to progressing his career in the business.
Paddy said: “I’d already done work experience with Electricity North West when I was 15, when I was able to try a selection of jobs in the business.
“I thought an apprenticeship would suit me better than further education because I wanted to do something more practical.
“And I wanted to be a linesperson because I love working outdoors in the countryside. I don’t want to be staring at the same four walls every day.
“My job involves working as part of a team to maintain and improve the distribution network, which means lots of climbing ladders and working on overhead lines.”
And Paddy found a welcoming, supportive environment at Electricity North West, where colleagues were keen to see him succeed and achieve his full potential.
He said: “People are happy to give you their time and experience and as I learned, I was able to take on more and more responsibility.
“If you’ve got the right attitude, you can have a good career.”
Now Paddy plans to continue learning and earning more qualifications so he can work on a wider range of jobs and get promoted.
Peter Emery, chief executive at Electricity North West, said: “Our apprenticeship scheme is going from strength to strength and, I believe, is offering people the opportunity they need to develop an exciting career with us. I think more people should know about those kinds of opportunities and National Apprenticeship Week is a really important way of ensuring they do.
“We’re welcoming 30 new apprentices this year – our biggest ever intake – and they will play a crucial role in enabling more of us in the North West to switch to green technologies like electric heat pumps and vehicles, which will put ever more demand on the electricity network.”
Electricity North West’s apprenticeship programme scooped the highly prestigious North West Recruitment Excellence Award at the National Apprenticeship Awards 2021, with judges highlighting its focus on inclusion and diversity, school engagement and career progression.
The programme was also highly commended in the Apprenticeship Large Employer of the year category.
Chris Havard, training academy and apprenticeship programme manager, said: “We are immensely proud of our apprentices and have worked hard to develop a programme that delivers amazing opportunities across our organisation.
“This year’s recruitment drive is our biggest yet and there’s never been a better time to be joining Electricity North West.
“I’d encourage anyone with a passion for engineering and the environment to apply.”
The deadline to apply is Friday 25th February. To apply, please visit here.
For more information about Electricity North West, please visit www.enwl.co.uk.
