With National Apprenticeship Week taking place this week (5th-9th March), E.ON is highlighting the important role apprenticeship schemes play in securing the energy industry’s future and equipping new starters with the skills to succeed at work.
Over the last three years E.ON has trained more than 250 apprentices with the majority who have completed their apprenticeships going on to secure full-time jobs at E.ON. A quarter have also stayed in learning and completed higher apprenticeships as part of their ongoing development.
E.ON’s apprenticeship schemes cover a wide range of skills and disciplines and are continually being developed and adapted to suit the demands of the business and its customers.
Apprentice opportunities at E.ON range from the more traditional engineering focused roles such as highways lighting, smart meter technicians or wind turbine engineers, as well as offering opportunities for apprenticeships in office based roles such as customer services. Chris Norbury, HR Director at E.ON UK said:
“We’re really proud of our apprenticeship schemes and we recognise how important introducing new talent into the industry is to securing the future of E.ON and other companies in our field.
“Our apprenticeship opportunities are open to people of all age ranges and backgrounds, helping to support more people into real job opportunities as well as contributing to the industry’s ongoing drive to develop the skilled workforce needed within the wider sector.
“Apprentices are hugely valuable to E.ON- bringing fresh ideas, passion and enthusiasm to our business. In return we encourage them all to be the best they can be and provide them with opportunities to achieve degree and post graduate level qualifications through apprenticeships with us.”
Zoe Finch, 27, from Basildon, Essex, who was the first ever female engineering apprentice to achieve the Level 2 Dual Fuel Smart Meter Installer Apprenticeship Standard in England, said:
“I used to own and run a catering van selling sandwiches and other food, but realised that I wanted to try my hand at something new. I applied for the apprenticeship scheme as I thought it was the best way to start a career in something I knew I’d enjoy. I’d always been interested in working with electrics so when this opportunity came up I couldn’t have been happier.
“All of what I’ve learnt and experienced will definitely prove valuable in the future. I’m always looking to better the skills I already have and to learn and experience new things, so my future at E.ON could hold many possibilities for me. I’d like to be a tech specialist once I’ve gained enough experience and become the best at what I do.”
E.ON’s Nathan Davies was recently named Highways Electrical Association (HEA) national ‘Apprentice of the Year 2017’.
The awards celebrate excellence from the industry’s very best organisations and recognise individuals who’ve made a valuable contribution to the highway electrical sector.
Nathan, originally from Walsall in the West Midlands, is a fourth year apprentice in E.ON’s Highways Lighting team based in Wednesbury and was nominated for the award for his achievements throughout the four years and his dedication and commitment to the role.
Nathan said:
“I joined E.ON as an apprentice because I was looking to improve my career prospects when my partner was pregnant with our first child. Since joining I’ve gained a huge amount of knowledge and experience and through my hard work I’ve been able to become a Street Lighting Jointer one year earlier than planned.
E.ON was also named fourteenth in The Job Crowd’s Top 50 Companies for apprentices to work for in 2017.
For further information about E.ON’s apprenticeships and other career opportunities, please visit eon-uk-careers.com.