Sitting back in his chair, fresh from the Harwich Buoy Yard, Electrical Apprentice Alex is wearing his high-visibility gear and bucket hat. Digital Engagement Lead Sarah-Jane Lakshman finds out more about the apprentice bound for the Field Operations team.
Alex, you’re one of our apprentices, tell me about your role at Trinity House!
Alex: Well, I'm the Electrical Apprentice and I work on the solar units in the buoy yard workshop - that’s my primary job. I've been doing this for two years and then in the next few weeks, I'll be moving into the Field Operations team.
That's quite exciting! What were you doing before you joined Trinity House?
Alex: I went to college full-time; I did mechanical engineering and manufacturing, and I spent a little bit of time working for a manufacturing company. I saw the advert for the apprentice role on LinkedIn, and I thought, “I'll give that a little application”. I applied, did my interview, and then Trinity House called me an hour later and was like, “We want to offer you the job!”.
Was working in maritime something that you were always interested in?
Alex: Honestly, it was out of the blue. I always knew who Trinity House were, but I didn't know what they did exactly because it's such a niche part of the industry. I did research for my interview, so I had a little bit of knowledge coming into the job, but I've never seen this side of things before. I knew it was a reputable company, so I thought, you know what?
Having my name under Trinity House is a great kickstart to my career.
When the advert came up, it was for an electrical apprenticeship. I had the mechanical background – the great thing with an apprenticeship is it gives you the ability to learn something new whilst working on the job. Having that ability to learn electrical as well as having that mechanical side has been really good. And I knew coming into this that I'd be based in the buoy yard and that I’ve eventually move into the lighthouse engineer team. Trinity House help set the courses that they believed I would need to complete the apprenticeship.
Buoy yards are such a hub of activity – tell me about what goes on there.
Alex: So, buoys come back from the sea. They're stripped down and rearranged by the team outside. Once that's done, I will be handed the—well we call them Toblerones because of their shape—but they're the solar units fixed to the buoys. I work on three solar units at a time, I build the units and get them all cleaned. There's new bolts, a new lantern, a new program.
Meanwhile the buoys are jet washed, grit blasted, and painted, and then our welder and fabricator will do his side of things. My solar units will then get put on to a superstructure, and that’s fitted on a buoy ready for redeployment.
A massive team effort!
Alex: Yeah definitely. Nothing in the buoy yard works without each other. I don't know where I'd be without my team. Even though I'm not always hands on with what they do, they’re supportive of what I do and I'm supportive of what they do. I've worked alongside these guys for two years now and they're a great team. What I love is that they don't have me doing jobs that aren't part of my apprenticeship role – they want me to focus solely on my apprenticeship and getting through that. Having that support is great.
What experience and skills have this apprenticeship given you?
Alex: More hands-on stuff, definitely. Before, I've worked on machines which do everything for you. Now I'm using hand tools, upgrading my hand skills – power tools as well. Really learning the basics of what goes into the job and what I need to be a good tradesman in the future.
Looking ahead: lighthouses! How are you feeling about the change?
Alex: Honestly, I've not been out to a lighthouse yet, so I'm looking forward to travelling away and seeing what the different lighthouses are like. I always see pictures, they look beautiful, the scenery too! But not only that, getting hands-on with what the lighthouse engineers do, that will be that would be really good. I can't wait for that.
I'm so optimistic about what's going to happen in the next two years. I'm definitely going to miss the buoy yard, but I want to reach the second point of my apprenticeship and see where that goes.
The lighthouse teams travel quite a bit. How are you feeling about potentially being on an offshore light for two weeks at a time?
Alex: It's definitely going to be a different experience! When I joined this job, I had no commitments, it was a jump in the deep end sort of situation. Now I definitely have more responsibilities to consider, but I'm not letting that get in the way of kickstarting my career. I'm really looking forward to it.
What do you enjoy most about working at Trinity House?
Alex: I think the atmosphere and the environment.
The people here are great, and the work here is unique. It's fun - there's always different challenges and nothing is ever the same.
The people are so supportive and really great to work with. I've really hit a gold mine when it comes to this sort of thing because there are a lot of places that don't treat apprentices the right way. For the two years I've had here, it's been a really good experience.
What would you say to someone who is looking to maybe do an apprenticeship with Trinity House?
Alex: It's a great opportunity – consider it as a main option. There is just so much here to learn and do, it's definitely worth considering. I have had no regrets since I joined!
Just before I let you go, tell me: imagine you're stuck at a lighthouse for two weeks. What is the one thing you're taking with you?
Alex: Do you know what? I've never actually given that any thought!
Maybe you should!
Alex: Yeah, maybe I should give that some thought, considering I’m moving into that line of work soon.
Knitting?
Alex: Hmm… not really my thing – maybe a football!