I could appreciate how devastating it would have been if I had been in his shoes. I was an apprentice once so I felt it was important to give him a chance.” Michael knew Luke’s father from when they were both young, and had carried out electrical work at his home – he had even off ered Luke a week’s work experience when he was at school. He said: “I could tell at the interview that he was pretty keen and had a willingness to learn, and his experience of both domestic and commercial work is a great benefi t to us. He has the right attitude and I know that he wants to become a good electrician.” It’s a decision he’s not regretted as


Luke was able to hit the ground running


when he started in August, and is now preparing to enter the third year of his apprenticeship at Edinburgh College. Commenting on the support that AKD and MR Electrical and others in the trade have given apprentices made redundant as a result of the economic turndown, Anne Galbraith, Chief Executive of SECTT, said: “I am delighted that employers have stepped forward to off er these apprentices the opportunity to complete their apprenticeship. “SECTT supports redundant apprentices by funding their college training to allow them to complete the stage that they are in. We will also pay for travel to college as an additional


TALENT OF TOMORROW


Luke’s story


As fate would have it, a week’s work experience with MR Electrical was what interested Luke Dunn in a career as an electrician. And a few years later, he’s now working at the company and entering his third year apprenticeship, after being made redundant in August. After leaving school, Luke


accepted an apprenticeship with a company providing electrical services to the commercial sector but he soon felt that he was not getting a fully grounded experience working as an electrician. He explained: “I was not


getting much variety; I was just building frame trays and doing wiring. I felt that I’d get a much more hands-on role and wider experience in domestic work and this would be a better place to learn the fundamentals of being an electrician.”


Luke’s skills have improved since being hired by Michael


Luke moved to a new


company providing domestic electrical services but when the coronavirus pandemic occurred, he found himself out of work. He said: “Obviously it was


a shock, but I’ve moved companies before so perhaps that helped to soften the blow a bit. To be honest, I was fi ne about it really as I decided to


keep my head down and look for work… and I got a job the next day with Michael Riley! “Michael has handed me a


great opportunity and said he will teach me everything I need to know, which is exactly what an apprentice wants to hear. “I’m now often working


alongside Michael on jobs and learning all the fundamentals of being an electrician; my


support. For third-stage apprentices who are eligible to sit FICA, we ensure that they are able to sit this with no cost to themselves. We believe that they should be given all opportunities to become an electrician. During these diffi cult and challenging times, I would like to thank all employers who continue to support SECTT and the SJIB apprenticeship programmes.”


i


SECTT manages high-quality training on behalf of the Scottish Joint Industry Board (SJIB). To fi nd out more about SECTT and


its work call 0131 445 5659, email admin@ sectt.org.uk or visit www.sectt.org.uk


NAME: Luke Dunn AGE: 19


POSITION: T ird year apprentice WORKS:


MR Electrical HOBBIES:


Playing football and watching Hibs


general understanding about what is going on has grown, particularly how to make jobs easier for myself, and my communications skills about how I talk about the job has improved.” Looking forward, it’s not


surprising to learn that Luke would also like to start his own business someday, but after he qualifi es he’d also like to take the opportunity to travel for a few years and see where his new profession takes him.


CABLEtalk OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 43


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