With 96% of the UK's employers reporting benefits by recruiting apprentices, it is hard to ignore the fact that apprentices really do make a difference in many number of ways. Not only that, providing young people with the chance of work experience is just as important at such an early stage of their career path. JCW actively support both work experience and apprenticeships and are always looking for new, enthusiastic talent.

What are the benefits?

Apprentices, whether part time or full time, are an asset to any organisation and can bring a number of benefits to an existing workforce as well as the business as a whole.

Here at JCW we fully appreciate the value of all of our apprentices and see them as a unique opportunity to 'grow our own' engineers and administrative staff.  We understand that young people need to combine their on the job training with out of work learning.  It has proved time and again to be an effective way to nurture their skills and provide them support through their transition from student to full time employment.

We are always considering the future of our business and the direction it will take and believe that providing work experience opportunities and apprenticeships can therefore provide an invaluable opportunity for both us and the person.  They will learn from the experience of our organisation and existing workforce while providing us with their expertise and innovation for the future.

Meet George (Updated May 2023)

As his neighbour, our area supervisor Richard has known George since he was a child. When the time came for George to start making a choice with regard to his future career following his A levels, Richard was on hand to promote the virtues of engineering! With so many fields of engineering available, Richard recommended George take a degree that would help him become multi-resourceful and he chose mechanical engineering.

Keeping a promise

Richard also made the promise that, before his final year at university, he could shadow him to get a real-life feel of an engineering role. What was meant to be a week or two turned into a formal 14 weeks of work experience during the summer holidays, before George headed back to complete his degree.

Richard said “It has been great having George on our team, he has been very quick to learn and a real asset. Both our electrical and HVAC engineers, when they’ve needed a second man, have been requesting George to support them. This says a lot about George’s work ethic, capability and personality. Well done to George!”

Engineering in the real world

In the weeks that George has been with us he has had the opportunity of experiencing building services in the ‘real world’! Although class room learning provides significant background, actually conducting the tasks, on client premises with the every day pressures of life and work can be very different.

George said:

“Throughout the weeks I have worked for the JCW I have developed new skills and achieved a greater understanding of HVAC systems. Not only that but also fire alarms and sensors, as well as electronics both single and 3 phase, including fitting new lights with emergency lights and having to adapt on the job and come up with ideas, due to things not always going to plan!

“This experience has introduced me to the commercial world of engineering which cannot be taught in a university classroom. For this, I would like to again thank Richard and April for helping to organise my work diary to make this possible, giving me every chance where possible, to ensure I see everything the company does. Thanks to them I have undertaken tasks such as brazing, filter cleaning, light installations, compressor changing, pressure testing, water pump replacement, re-gassing outdoor AC units, and the list goes on.

“Working with JCW also allowed me to meet with external companies, who showed me the Building Management Systems (BMS) side of the HVAC, and the capabilities a BMS has such as being able to operate all the systems remotely, including the ability to monitor what’s going on at a site.”

Back to university

As George completes his final contracted day as our employee and heads back to University, he left us with these comments:

“I am very grateful to JCW who allowed me to join the company as a colleague and discover for myself how they operate within the industry side of engineering which has been a most valuable experience for me, as I continue with the last year of my mechanical engineering degree at university.

“I would like to say a massive thank you to JCW, the team, and the supervisors for giving me a valuable and most enjoyable experience working in the real world. I have a year left at university and will stay in contact with JCW should any opportunities in the Electric and/or HVAC departments arise once I graduate.”

Mark, Operations Director, also added:

“It was a pleasure to have George on our team over the last few weeks and we are so pleased that he found the experience fulfilling and enjoyed his time with JCW.”

We don’t think we have seen the last of George…!

And George is Back!

This original article was written in October 2022, since then George has now completed his time at university, and guess where he is now!? Yes, George is joining us again on the 9th May 2023, this time as a full time engineer.

We would like to welcome George back and wish him a long and enjoyable career with JCW and may he be an inspiration to other young people looking for a career in building services.

A Career with JCW

If you are an aspiring engineer or administrator who are interested in a career in the building services sector then please get in touch with us.  We fully support work experience and apprenticeships and believe that the young people we recruit today really will continue to provide a firm foundation for our company in the future.  We welcome individuality and enthusiasm and reward with our full support in your career progression.

If you would like to know more about a career with JCW then please get in touch by clicking here.