An Electrical Project Engineer from Birmingham is looking to boost his career through an apprenticeship programme with Solihull College & University Centre.
Sam Bates was originally studying business management at a different college, however having previously worked in building maintenance, he decided to take a full time job with King & Moffatt Building Services instead. With the desire to upskill and move into a management position, the apprenticeship programme seemed like a logical step.
Currently Sam spends one day a week at college and the rest of the week at his company’s Birmingham office in Coleshill. ‘My educational needs are met at College’ he states, ‘the maths side especially has helped me when I apply hands on work at my job. I wouldn’t have got that experience doing a full time degree course, so this is the best of both worlds. My lecturers have also been really good.’
Sam, now 25, finishes the first part of his apprenticeship in May which qualifies him as a basic technician, then he can choose whether to continue on to a HNC or degree level afterwards.
‘The aim is to one day be a contracts manager’ Sam states. At present he manages 3 people but as a contracts manager that number could be up to 50.
Sam’s day to day job involves managing packages within a specification. He is involved in design, costing and labour. “I can now do a whole spectrum of things. There are so many different perspectives in this role” Sam admits. “I was once told by another electrician ‘if you want a challenge every day go into electrical engineering’”.
