National Apprenticeship Week: Meet Josh

This week (6-12 February) marks National Apprenticeship Week - and we love any excuse to shout about some of the great work done here by some equally great members of Team EY. Back in 2022, our parent company, The Go-Ahead Group was named one of the UK's top 20 apprenticeship employers, and as the leading apprenticeship providers in the transport and travel industry.

To find out how some of our apprentices are getting on, our Marketing Officer, Terry Vincent, spoke to some of our Engineering apprentices to find out how they were getting on.

Meet Josh, a second year Bodyshop apprentice working in our engineering department:

TERRY: Hiya Josh, thanks for coming up! Let's get into it: how are you finding your apprenticeship so far? Are you enjoying it?

JOSH: Yeah, I'm loving it. I'm enjoying learning everything - it was all new to me. I came here with no past experience, so everything I've learned has been completely new. I get on with everyone - we have a laugh, it's nice.

That's great! So, you're studying down at Bristol, right? What's that like - being there?

So, when we're down there, from Monday to Wednesday, we'll go through powerpoints in the class. At the end of the week, we'll have an assessment, and throughout the week, we'll be going through and revising for the test. Maybe one or two days, we go down to the workshops and do some practical work. Like I say, Friday, we do the test and hopefully pass (laughs).

Hopefully (laughs)! You're in your second year now - how was the first year? Lots of learning new stuff, I bet.

Yeah, it was good. I mean, at the start you're just kind of watching people do stuff, whereas now, I just kind of do my own thing. I know what I'm doing, for the most of it (laughs). It's nice to be trusted to work on my own, and not have to rely on someone watching my every move - less so when I mess up (laughs).

So, what made you want to go into an apprenticeship then?

I've done a lot of mechanics at home - at some point I tried it as a job and thought it's not really for me, I'll just do that a home. This course was the next thing I thought of, to be honest. 

Well, we're glad to have you here! What did you do before coming to EY then?

Well, I was at college doing mechanical engineering - but I left. After that, I found a training position in Brough doing mechanics - but I didn't do that much of it, it didn't work out well with the place I was at. I think there's more on the line when you're not learning, you know, in an apprenticeship - you're alright to make mistakes here if you need to and there's someone around to tell you how to get out of them, so that you know how not to make them again. 

That's an important skill to learn. So, how was college then? What's the difference between studying at college and doing an apprenticeship?

I finished the first year of my college course, and I thought to myself: 'I don't really want to do another year of this'. Being taught at a desk isn't really my speciality, I struggle to take things in - I'm more of a hands-on learner, so I thought an apprenticeship would be a lot easier. And, it is - I learn a lot easier by doing stuff than learning in class - it's just what works for me.

And how was to process of getting an apprenticeship here?

It was quite easy to be honest. Don't get me wrong - it was nerve-wracking. I think I had to do a test online, which you had to pass. Then, you had to do the interview, and after that they told you whether you got it or not. I remember walking out of the EY interview and thinking 'Yeah, I smashed that'. I got in the car with my dad and I felt like I did alright - like I did the best I possibly could. Obviously, it was good enough because now I'm here.

You definitely smashed it, then. Would you recommend doing an apprenticeship then?

Yeah, definitely. I think, in school the way that it came across was that people who were smart and good in class went to university, and those who weren't as good went to college or got an apprenticeship. Now, though, I think it's just a different kind of smart - different things work better for different people. I think, also, if I went to college there's no income with it, so I would have had to get a side job or something. Here, I'm learning and getting paid - personally, I think this is better than college or university.

So, what would you say to anyone who's considering following your footsteps and going into an apprenticeship then?

I'd say do it. Well, I mean, if you apply, the worst thing that can happen is that they say no, and then you just try again. But, yeah... It's fun, and I definitely recommend it - just try it.

Smashing! Well, thanks for coming, Josh! I'll catch up with you soon.

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