MY SALTIRE STORY

I’m currently working at Saltire facilities management in Bellshill as one of over 250 employees covering many trades from electrical technicians, Gas Heating engineers and renewable technicians, as well as many roles within our main office.

I joined as a school leaver and started my apprenticeship in 2017, so I’ve been here for over 6 years. We work with Housing associations and local authorities, offering a range of home services from heating installation to solar panel installation and renewable energy solutions in people’s homes.

Since I qualified as an electrician, I have worked on jobs such as EICR testing in people’s houses, rewiring for heating installations and other minor works.

I previously worked as part of an installations team, doing rewiring for heating installs, usually bigger projects. I’m working as a tech lead, so my duties tend to be more solo projects, which always need a bit more thought.

My duties often involve testing, fault finding, and smoke alarm upgrades.

I’d always considered taking an apprenticeship as another option if I didn’t go into playing football at a professional level. It was my backup plan!

University didn’t seem like it would be the right fit for me. I needed a more flexible option to learn, and an apprenticeship would allow me that whilst still getting my qualifications. I knew that if I did take on an apprenticeship, it would be an electrical one. I liked the idea that this trade allows me to work anywhere.

My advice would be to go for it! An apprenticeship will set you up with essential skills, not just in your trade but also skills for life! By learning on the job, you can get a foot up in the world and earn money faster.

If you’re considering an apprenticeship, you need to be willing to learn and be interested in your trade, and remember that there is no such thing as a stupid question!

I first heard about the apprentice opportunities after speaking to one of the Saltire operations managers, Mark, at a career event run by my high school.

My apprenticeship was a hybrid model, with my time split between technical learning in college and being onsite replicating skills learned in a working environment. In an apprenticeship, you work your way up and earn your place; through that, you get to know every part of the process! Throughout my time, I worked with a whole range of different people, which showed me different ways of doing things and helped me find out what methods suited me best.

My time as an apprentice involved working away from home for periods, which was an excellent experience. I worked on Saltire’s contract in Dumfries. I stayed there for about 6 months, which was really good for my development in my trade and also personally.

I’ve definitely become more confident as a person. I’ve gained so many life skills, from working with the public to solo problem-solving and thinking on the spot in challenging situations.

I’ve also become more financially independent; an apprenticeship means you have your own money to spend and look after. My time management skills have improved, too; I can prioritize my work and make sure I’m meeting deadlines.

I think it’s important to remember to commit to a career path you know you’ll enjoy! You’ll be doing it for several years, so first, make sure to choose a path that involves something you’re good at and take an interest in, but also an option with room for progression so you can move up the ladder in that career!

I’m looking forward to advancing within my industry; there are loads of different options I have to progress within pricing, surveying, or moving into engineering. I know that through my trade, I can work anywhere in the world, and I’d like to be able to further my knowledge in other countries, too, somewhere like Australia!

My role in Saltire is within the void properties team as a gas engineer. We work on the North Lanarkshire contract, and our role as a team is to bring void properties up to specification for new customers to move in. Within the team, I look after any boiler services, repairs, maintenance, or remedial work. Working to quick deadlines is crucial for our team, making sure we have properties returned in time for those needing homes.

I left school after my 5th year. I felt the idea of university was pushed onto me during high school, but once I weighed up my options, I realized going to uni wasn’t in my best interests.

Full-time education doesn’t give you a break; you have to work to meet coursework and project deadlines any time you’re not in lectures or tutorials, which I felt wouldn’t give me enough downtime. Equally, the thought of going into such significant debt with no certainty of a job didn’t seem like a good option.

By taking on an apprenticeship, I was able to gain my qualifications whilst still working, getting paid and gaining life skills.

My apprenticeship was a split between time in college and working. It was a bit more challenging as COVID-19 restrictions were introduced during my time as an apprentice, and the majority of my college was moved online, as well as the restrictions to working in the field.

Regardless, the benefits of the programme outweighed these challenges and haven’t hampered me in the long run. It helped me to become more adaptable in challenging situations.

My apprenticeship is structured to allow me to gain multiple qualifications across all aspects of the industry. I have qualifications in both natural domestic and commercial gas, as well as in F gas. I’ve also gained my 18th edition for electrical installations and an SVQ3 in building.

Multiple Saltire engineers mentored me throughout my time as an apprentice, which helped me learn vast skills in both my trade and communication, money handling skills, and customer service through tenant interactions. My time was also crucial in learning how to conduct and present myself in different environments and finding where there was room for progression.

I’d definitely encourage any young person, male or female, to think about taking up an apprenticeship. More and more young women are going down the route of apprenticeships and getting a trade; it’s not just for young men.

Making use of career events, but in particular work experience opportunities, is something I can’t recommend enough. I completed my 4th year of work experience placement with Saltire, and it was really beneficial for giving me a better idea of what worked for me.

Seeking out a work experience placement looks great on your CV, and more importantly, it can help you form decisions for your future and work towards finding out what’s right or, more importantly, what isn’t for you.

In the long term, I’m looking towards moving into the management side of the business and helping to run things on an operational level; Saltire makes this option a lot more accessible as all of our managers are off the tools and have worked their way up. It’s an opportunity that allows for so much internal growth and the option to expand my role.

Now that I’m qualified, I’ve been able to take on a mentoring role and begin working with apprentices myself. I’ve really enjoyed this new development in my role because I feel I can relate to the new apprentices being young myself and having gone through the process recently.

I can give back some of the advice and skills that I was taught and engage with these other young people as they develop their careers.

I honestly feel that taking on an apprenticeship will improve all of your life skills through the responsibility it gives you, through working with money where it really matters.

When you do an apprenticeship, you work alongside people with authority, which has given me a lot more confidence. I’d say I’ve become much wiser, and my maturity has developed. At the end of the day, we’re still a private sector business, so you get to develop your understanding of those aspects of the business, from pricing jobs to dealing with suppliers and manufacturers.