David Relf joined the Comserv Electrical Team in November 2020. He was partially qualified and needed to gain experience in his trade…
What did you do before you joined Comserv as an Electrician?:
Before training to become an Electrician, I was a cluster manager for AMT in Southampton. AMT are a nationwide Coffee Shop company. I became disillusioned working in a retail customer service environment, and couldn’t really see how I could progress my career. I did not know what I wanted to do when I was younger but tried to do the best I could within the role I’d been given.
Whilst I was on my way to work one day, I had a motorbike accident when an uninsured driver hit me at low speed. The compensation money that I received from the accident enabled me to enrol in a full time course in Electrics. This intense 6 weeks training gave me basic knowledge but I needed to gain experience (I didn’t even know how to wire a socket when I was a coffee shop manager).
When did you join Comserv?:
I applied for an Electrician role at Comserv and joined as a qualified domestic installer in November 2020.
The Electrical Manager at the time spoke to me to say that Comserv would put me though my NVQ and then AM2 Assessment which at the end would fully qualify me as an electrician.
I chose Electrics as it is interesting and there are scientific equations that go into it that allow you to install what we do. I must admit, the money was also a motivator!
How did you find it joining a responsive repairs company?:.jpg)
You never really know how a trade is going to be until you get into it, and I found out that it’s quite hard work being an electrician. In the first two weeks I found it difficult to settle into my new role. I wasn’t used to the banter between work colleagues as I hadn’t grown up with it and didn’t understand it. However, I had paid a lot of money for my training, so with determination, I gradually got used to it and settled into my new role. Plus I enjoy what I do.
How did you find it as a mature student?
My NVQ training was the 1605 experienced worker course at Brian Scaddan. I would work all day and then on Monday and Tuesday evenings I would go to attend a 3 hour evening class. It was quite intense and a big commitment. I had to miss out on precious family time, and I was used to putting my 8 year old daughter to bed each night and I couldn’t on the evenings I was at night school. My partner and I also had another baby during this period. So it was hard, but my partner was a big support.
What other skills have you learned?
I’ll try my hand at anything Electrical. If I’m unsure I’ll get someone more qualified to help. I generally find it difficult to interact with new people and I’d normally shy away from it. Working in this role I have learnt to be a bit more sociable and this has made me more confident.
How was your working relationship with the other Operatives whilst you were an Apprentice?
I pretty much get on with everyone, or try to at least. Some Operatives are harder to get to know than others. But then as you spend more time working with together, you begin to understand why they are the way they are.
Have you helped to train new apprentices?
Yes, I had Connor Hamilton-Baxter (an Electrical Apprentice) for the first 6 months of his apprenticeship to cover the areas that I was qualified to teach him. I’ve also worked with another of our Electrical Apprentices (Cameron Stone) and a work experience student. I quite enjoy mentoring them. I enjoy teaching.
Would you recommend an apprenticeship to a school leaver or someone who is considering a career/education change?
I would 100% recommend it, an apprenticeship is the way to go. It sets you up for life with a skill that you wouldn’t necessarily learn otherwise, and it doesn’t just give you the basics. It’s all the knowledge you need over a period of time.
Deciding to undertake an Apprenticeship is a hard choice when you’re young, but it’s a very important choice. You should also consider that you wouldn’t have to pay for your training as a school leaver.