Stories
Real apprentices, real pathways
Hear from people who've walked the path — how they got started, what surprised them, and where it's taking them.
Building a Future, One Course at a Time
Everyone told me to stay on for A-levels, but sitting still in a classroom was never me. I started a bricklaying apprenticeship with a local firm and learned more in my first month on site than I had in a year of lessons. What surprised me most was the maths and the planning — there's real craft in getting a wall straight, level and on time. I'm now mentoring the first-years, and I'm saving to start my own company before I'm 25.
From GCSEs to the National Grid
I left school at 16 not really knowing what I wanted to do, only that university and the debt that came with it didn't feel right for me. A careers afternoon put me onto an electrical apprenticeship and I haven't looked back. Three years in, I'm a qualified installation electrician working on substations. I earn a proper wage, I've got no student loan, and every day is different. My advice to anyone unsure: the trades aren't a fallback — they're a real, skilled career.
The Only Girl on Site — and Loving It
When I told people I wanted to be a plumber, half of them laughed. I get the last laugh: I'm two years into my apprenticeship, fitting heat pumps and boilers, and the demand for what I do is only going up. Yes, I'm often the only woman on site. But the work speaks for itself, and more girls are coming through every year. If you're good with your hands and want a career that pays and matters, don't let anyone talk you out of it.
Welding Took Me Around the World
I was into metalwork at school and figured welding might lead somewhere. I didn't expect it to take me to oil rigs, shipyards and a six-month contract abroad before I turned 21. A coded welding qualification is recognised everywhere, and a good welder is never short of work. The apprenticeship route meant I earned while I trained and came out with no debt and a trade I can take anywhere.
From a Quick Quiz to a Career I Love
Honestly, I only took the 'Find Your Trade' quiz to kill ten minutes. It matched me to carpentry, which I'd never even considered. On a whim I looked up apprenticeships nearby and applied. Two years later I'm doing first and second fix on new builds, working towards my Level 3, and genuinely looking forward to Mondays. Sometimes the thing you're meant to do is one you've never thought about — it's worth exploring.