Ryan Gardam: Electrical & Mechanical Apprentice

Ryan Gardam is an Electrical & Mechanical Apprentice working in Facilities Maintenance. After completing his AS Levels in Business and Geography, Ryan decided he wanted to consider different career paths, although he was unsure of which area.

Best option

Ryan decided he wanted to get away from the classroom and find a way to earn money while also learning skills that would set him up for the future, so he began to consider an apprenticeship. Ryan was interested in applying for something totally new and he found Electrical Engineering appealing due to the amount of practical work involved.

When Ryan came across a vacancy for an Electrical Engineering apprenticeship at The University, he decided to apply straight away. He was keen to apply due to the University being such a large and credible employer that could provide him with many opportunities for career development and would look excellent on his CV. After researching the University in more detail, Ryan discovered information about the different faculties and departments.

Qualifications and skills

Ryan recognised the potential of the variety of work and challenges available when completing this apprenticeship. He has now been with the University for 19 months and has completed his Level 2 NVQ qualification in Electrical Engineering, completing units such as 'Maintaining Electrical Systems/Equipment' and 'Working Efficiently and Effectively in Engineering'.

He is currently working towards completing his NVQ Level 3, which consists of units such as 'Testing Electrical Equipment and Circuits' and 'Carrying Out Preventative Planned Maintenance on Electrical Equipment'.

Ryan’s role at the University is to assist electricians with their maintenance work by completing reported faults and tasks. Ryan begins his day in the workshop at 8.30am, where he receives his allocated dockets (jobs) for the day. Once Ryan has acknowledged his tasks, he will then gather the materials needed from the stores. After the equipment is collected, he completes the jobs, in order of importance, with timescales of jobs ranging from ten minutes to several weeks.

Apprentice of the Year

Whilst working at the University, Ryan was awarded ‘Apprentice of The Year’ at the Celebrating Success event in 2012, after he was nominated by Bill Steadman, Engineering Maintenance Manager.

The award has built Ryan’s confidence, showing him that his hard work has been recognised by University staff members.

With support from mentors, supervisors and managers, Ryan is able to overcome the challenges he is faced with, such as the NVQ Level 3 written work. Although some of the work can be challenging, the units and work books have helped to guide Ryan through his apprenticeship, giving him an understanding of what it is that he needs to learn.

Ryan feels he has improved his technical skills considerably since beginning his apprenticeship. He said: “Before I started working at the University I had no experience of Electrical Engineering, but I now feel confident completing tasks alone because of the knowledge I have gained. I have learned a lot more in a year and a half than I thought possible.

“This apprenticeship has helped to improve my interpersonal skills dramatically due to working with new people every day. I have really enjoyed my experience so far and it is something I would definitely recommend to other young people. It is a good alternative to University, as I will achieve qualifications that will set me up for life. I am gaining on the job experience at the same time as earning money.”

Ryan has great ambitions to progress his career within the University and hopes that, one day, he will achieve his goal and become an Engineering Manager.