APPRENTICES APPRENTICE INTERVIEW
Better latte than never
In the fi rst of a new series, Talent of Tomorrow, we meet the former coff ee shop manager who escaped the daily grind to become an electrical apprentice – and now wants to make a stir in the world of property
Hi Kamilla, when did you fi rst think you’d like to become an electrician? I grew up in Poland where my dad was a car mechanic so I was always around tools. However, there’s a real stigma towards trades in Poland – you’re almost seen as too stupid to go to university. Originally, when I came over to Scotland I studied business management then went into retail management, managing a Costa Coff ee shop. However, I wanted more of a challenge and had always wanted to own properties so learning a trade made sense – even though it meant taking a massive pay cut.
Was it diffi cult to get an apprenticeship? I looked at various company and agency websites and saw that Castle Rock was looking for apprentices so I went for an interview and was off ered a place. I really enjoy working in a housing association; every day is diff erent and you defi nitely feel that you’re helping people.
Was the college training what you expected?
42 CABLEtalk JUNE/JULY 2020
The fi rst stage was relatively easy and relaxed and I found that we had plenty of time for written work, but there was a lot more pressure in the second stage!
What do you enjoy most about college? Is anything challenging? I loved the workshop during my fi rst stage – my job is mostly repairs and small installations so I gained a lot of experience and picked up things that I now do on site. The second stage felt very intense by comparison, but I enjoyed the science aspect as I like to know how everything works. Site organisation wasn’t so much fun! And if I’m honest, I would have preferred a little more time – it went very quickly and I would have liked more practical tasks and some site visits to see diff erent systems. But I’m very happy with how it’s all turned out.
How about on site? I have a great job – working for Castle Rock is amazing and I’m treated really well. I like that I’m trusted to make decisions and am part of the conversation, and I also like the variety
NAME: Kamilla Zajac AGE: 28 POSITION: Second stage apprentice WORKS: Castle Rock Housing Association ATTENDS: Edinburgh College
“I have a great job where I’m part of the conversation and I’m trusted with decisions”
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