As part of National Apprenticeship week, we’re looking at the journey of our National Field Operations Manager, Ben East. Ben joined as an apprentice and we couldn’t think of anyone better to showcase the value of an apprenticeship, how it can give a career a great start, as well as demonstrating how much apprenticeships have changed over time.

When Ben joined Switch2, he had already started his apprenticeship with another company. Unfortunately, that company went into liquidation, and so Ben joined Switch2 and finished his apprenticeship, becoming one of the engineers at Switch2.

With ambitions to move beyond his role as an engineer, Ben spent time equipping himself with the knowledge and skills to progress, ‘the progression is down to investing in myself, wanting to progress from an engineer into management’.

We asked Ben what he sees as the main difference between apprenticeships when he started out, and how he sees the role now as a manager. ‘In the past it was very self-sufficient, now there is much more support and additional input from external parties which helps a lot. It’s very different now than it used to be, and it’s definitely changed for the better’.

So what made Ben want to invest in himself and progress at Switch2? ‘It’s a good business and a friendly organisation. It’s all about progression here, and you can see that not only in the business itself, but in how it prioritises progressing it’s people too’.

Finally, Ben told us why in his opinion apprenticeships are so important, ‘apprenticeships develop young people, and allow them to invest in themselves by learning new skills while gaining experience and industry knowledge in a supported way. A good apprenticeship can really set you up for a great career’.

Switch2 has recently expanded the number of apprentices that are taken on each year, with Ben’s Field Engineering team now taking three times as many apprentices. This demonstrates the growth of the heat network sector, and the importance that Switch2 places on the role which apprentices have to play in our continued growth.

To see what roles we currently have available, click here.