• • • TRADE SKILLS • • •


LEARNING AT ANY STAGE: HOW AN APPRENTICESHIP STRENGTHENED MY CAREER


BY ANTONIO FORMISANO, CATEGORY MANAGER, ANSELL LIGHTING


A


pprenticeships are not just for school leavers and young adults, and are increasingly being used by employers to


retrain and retain staff. Antonio Formisano, a Category Manager at lighting manufacturer Ansell Lighting, explains how undertaking an apprenticeship in his 30s has helped to enhance his career.


The average age of an apprenticeship starter in England in 2025 was 29 years, with more than 51 per cent being over 25. 40 per cent of all apprenticeships were at higher level (level 4 or above), which deliver qualifications equivalent to a Foundation Degree, HNC, or HND, right through to a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree.


As someone who completed an apprenticeship some years into my career I understand the benefits.


I joined Ansell Lighting in January 2018 as a Lighting Designer. It was my first adventure outside my home town of Naples, in Italy and I was very happy to have found such a lovely team to work with.


My role involved using specialised software to create lighting designs for a wide variety of projects, from small warehouses to large-scale hospitality developments. Over time, I took on additional responsibilities as a Lighting Design Supervisor, including overseeing our photometric database, and from there I moved to the commercial team as a Product Manager.


18 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING •MARCH 2026


My experience in lighting design gave me a good insight into what our customers needed from products and their functionality, while my engineering background supported the project management aspects of the role, but I was keen to develop further. With the help of our Commercial Director and Learning & Development Director, I decided to pursue an Association for Project Management apprenticeship, at the age of 34. The APM Project Management Qualification (Level 4) took just over a year and was divided into modules, each with its own timeline and learning activities, such as video lessons, reflective logs, reading materials and live online classes. Alongside the coursework, I had to provide evidence of applying what I learned to real projects at work and there was a final exam where I presented my portfolio and answered questions. The apprenticeship was an interesting journey, which helped me better understand aspects of project management, such as building a business case, carrying out financial reviews and keeping the business engaged in new ideas and products. Among the highlights was working with the tutor and colleagues from different industries. Everyone brought different experience and perspectives, especially when comparing the ‘textbook’ approach with real-life scenarios. And I received support from my tutor in applying the theory and knowledge to my work as a Product Manager.


I now use that knowledge within the Ansell business to refine our processes and improve operations; simplifying workflows, streamlining development and supporting the wider team. Last summer I became a Category Manager, overseeing not only single product lifecycle management but also several sections of our product portfolio, including Commercial Modulars,


Panels and Linear, Track Lighting, LED Strips and Indoor Feature Lighting.


My role involves managing the product portfolio, defining business strategies for these categories, studying market needs and working closely with our product designers and manufacturers to develop new solutions that meet customer expectations. Some of these ranges form the core of the Ansell offering, so it’s both challenging and rewarding.


One of the most interesting products I’ve worked on is the redevelopment of our Comfort downlight, a longstanding part of the Ansell portfolio. First introduced in 2016 as a replacement for fluorescent downlights, it has become one of the highest performing commercial downlights on the market.


My challenge was to retain the classic, recognisable aesthetic while elevating the product to the next level, so we made it modular. The light source and reflector are sold separately, giving customers the flexibility to choose the power and reflector finish to suit their project, so if something goes wrong technically, they can simply replace the light source rather than the entire unit, making it more sustainable and future proofing it for us to introduce new features or upgrades. We also significantly improved its performance, making it ideal for energy saving projects and with the right reflector it can achieve UGR <19 for low glare environments like classrooms or offices. Life is a learning curve and having the ability to enhance my capabilities and benefited both my career and the business.


https://ansell-lighting.com/en electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk


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