SELECT AWARDS 2019 FEATURES
Top Marcs
WINNER APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR
Determined Marc McQuade has overcome family heartache to be named Apprentice of the Year at the SELECT Awards 2019 By Stewart McRobert
M
arc McQuade has already been through a lot in his 26 years. His future career once looked uncertain as he
tried a string of different jobs without finding something that suited him. After deciding on an apprenticeship with WMQ, he started to shine as his career got off to an incredible start. But in 2018, he tragically lost his mum when she passed away suddenly – then suffered another devastating blow when his dad had a stroke in June this year. Despite the challenges he has faced,
Marc’s hard work and talent shone through – and he was named SJIB/ Edmundson Apprentice of the Year at the SELECT Awards 2019. As Marc explained, things didn’t turn out as he intended when he left
St Aidan’s High School in Wishaw in 2011. “I got some good qualifications and went to Strathclyde University to study theoretical physics,” he said. “However, I didn’t take to university life and I wasn’t there for long.”
Path to success
Marc took some time off then applied to the RAF, sitting various exams, interviews and medicals. Ultimately, the judgment was that he would benefit from more life experience. That was the turning point that set him on his career as an electrician. “I started applying for jobs, one of which was for Scottish Power and the National Grid. My dad, who works for WMQ, told me that if I wanted to take that route, his employer was the only choice.” In 2013, Marc was interviewed and duly became a WMQ apprentice.
RENOVATION MAN
Not content with undertaking an apprenticeship and a degree, two years ago Marc started out on property renovation. After buying a property in Allanton near Shotts. he stripped it back to the brick shell, demolished the old extension and started afresh. He and his dad have been gradually completing the work, from building the new kits to completing concreting, plumbing and heating.
18 CABLEtalk DECEMBER 2019/JANUARY 2020
Looking back, he believes it was no surprise he took this path. He said: “At school I enjoyed physics and maths, which involved quite a bit of electrical work. When I was growing up, my dad built our house and I spent weekends helping him. Becoming an electrician felt like a natural progression.”
Trusted talent It turns out his dad’s views on WMQ were right. Marc said: “The way they deliver the SJIB apprenticeship is excellent. You get involved in a very wide range of work and the chance to obtain all the skills an electrician needs.” His own experience bears that out. During his first year he worked at Gartnavel Hospital and Glasgow Royal Infirmary. Both were substantial projects involving major work. Marc said: “I was learning the basics; seeing how a tradesman works, how to be safe, and the importance of making sure that everything was clean and tidy. However, I was also involved in jobs and working with serious infrastructure.” Marc excelled at college and WMQ began giving him jobs they’d normally offer to fully qualified electricians. These included working on Penicuik’s bio campus where he supervised the installation and testing of an office floor, with experienced electricians in his team. After
passing his FICA, Marc became the
electrical foreman in charge of electrical and subcontractors during work at Woodside Health Centre in Maryhill, Glasgow. It was a major project and he played his part in achieving a first-time handover of the building. He also gained a Higher National Certificate in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at New College
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