Olly Thorburn - EDA Apprenticeships (Electric Center)

Olly’s Apprenticeship Story

My name is Olly Thorburn and I am currently partaking in the Level 2 Trade Supplier Apprenticeship. I have been in the role around 5 months now and I can safely say that I am really enjoying it! Both the apprentice side and the working side.

What do I do? I work for an electrical wholesaler by the name of Electric Center, who sells electrical goods to both traders and the public. This is in the private sector. Some of my day to day roles include: driving and dropping goods off to customers, creating, picking and packing orders for customers, working with customers to provide the right products, finding the products that could not be stocked in the branch and more than anything, I try to provide the best customer services to help our customers have the best experience they can when they work with us.

I was initially attracted to Electric Center after working in a warehouse for a previous job and thinking about looking into a career of it. When I first spoke to EC I was told about the apprenticeship and it made the role even more attractive, as I would not just be in a role, I would be working towards a qualification as well. This was very attractive to me.

Since starting the apprenticeship, I have learned so much more than I anticipated in 5 months. Alongside working and learning more about the trade, my growth of knowledge of products and what the products we stock do has boomed. It has been a real confidence booster. When I started in the role, I would do a lot of the driving and dropping off goods, but now I am very much in the branch a lot working with customers and I feel like I have come leaps and bounds since starting in the role.

The apprentice side of things has also been a great experience so far too. The LSP tutors and staff at EDA are a pleasure to work with and the professional relationship that I have built with my tutor is one of the best from someone I have learned under. The LSP portal where I can do my work is easy to use, and gets updated monthly with a new module about real life topics and allows you to learn other things as well as the specific apprenticeship.

The work that I have been given to do for my apprenticeship is relevant, thought provoking work that has 100% helped me with my day to day roles in the branch, and is set out in a linear fashion that allows me to see my progress through the work. For me, this is great as it allows me to feel more and more confident every time I am meeting with my tutor and I am excited to tell him about the progress I am making.

By doing the apprenticeship I have been able to have more confidence with myself in regards to all roles at work. Not only with the day to day roles but also with the work that I have been given. EDA do an apprentice of the month and I was lucky enough to pick this up for the month of December. This was an incredible achievement and I felt almost instantly even better about the work I have been doing and the work I am working towards.

I feel personally that a lot of people could benefit from working in an apprenticeship role. Not only is it an alternative to University or working up from the bottom of a job role, but you work towards a qualification that will be staying with you. Adding to your personal portfolio can be a huge asset to have. I have a qualification to show I know what I am doing. Alongside, they are also fun. It is active learning while also meeting deadlines and aspiring to reach higher knowledge and experience.

I feel like a lot of employers should offer apprenticeships like the one I am partaking in. This is because I have learned so much more in the short time I have been a part of EC then I would have if I was not on a apprenticeship. By having learning time and work to do. I have been able to broaden my knowledge and ability within the role exponentially. It is also motivating, whereas if it was just a job role, interest may have been less to learn.

The apprenticeship has taught me a lot about myself. It has showed me that I can learn at a good pace and learn roles that I never thought I would be able to do when I started. It has also allowed me to see different paths that having this qualification can take me and the routes that I can get there. Whereas before I didn’t know what I wanted to do, now I know I want to stay in Electrical wholesale and what I can do to achieve higher roles within the company.

Overall I feel like the apprenticeship was the best thing I could have signed up for when joining Electric Center and I have no regrets about doing so. I would implore anyone that has a chance to do an EDA apprenticeship to do so. I look forward to the next 7 months and hopefully working towards other qualifications in the future.