Gibbons welcomes Anglian Water engineering apprentice

Gibbons Engineering Group has an excellent long-standing relationship with Anglian Water, the largest water company in England and Wales by geographic area. Along supplying the organisation with a wide range of products, services and support, we’ve also welcomed many Anglian Water apprentices to our workshops to gain even more valuable experience.

This week saw 21-year-old Anglian Water apprentice Sam Walls visit us for two days, and before he left we chatted to him about his experience here.

What kind of things have you been doing here over the last couple of days?

Yesterday I was in the motor rewinds workshop where I stripped a pump down and learnt how motor rewinding is done. It was an eye opener – I didn’t realise you had to count every strand of wiring! Today I’ve been in the contracts workshop wiring up control panels.

How has it been different to what you do at Anglian Water?

We don’t do motor rewinds at Anglian Water so yesterday was a completely new experience for me.

Tell us about the course you’re studying

I’m at Grantham College and I’ve got two months left until I’m qualified. NVQ Level 3 is my latest course and I’ve also done NVQ Level 2 and BTEC Level 3. I’m studying both engineering and electrical maintenance – we’re all dual skilled at Anglian Water.

Is there any particular branch of engineering you’d like to do once you’re qualified?

I’ve always been electrical biased but I do mechanical as well. I do electrical standby, so 80% of my jobs are electrical.

I’m contracted to stay on with Anglian Water for a year but I’ve haven’t thought much further ahead than that as I’m concentrating on my college work and getting my log book done.

Has this been a useful experience?

It’s been very useful. The engineers here have been really polite and helpful. If I’ve ever had a question, they’ve always been there to help.

Here at Gibbons we also recruit our own apprentices, with a proud tradition of developing young local engineers. If you’re based in Essex and are interested in an engineering apprenticeship, call us on 01621 868138 or email info@gibbonsgroup.co.uk to see how we can help you gain practical experience and launch your career.