Apprentice Scheme

Michael Hoare joined us as an apprentice electrician at the age of 24. Fast forward 3 years and he has recently bought his first home and is expecting his first child. Michael is a very hard working and forward thinking individual.

Prior to working for Fortem Michael had achieved a City & Guilds in carpentry at college and was working a very well-paid job for a glazing and locks company. He decided to enrol as an apprentice electrician, quite a change up from what he had become accustomed to. Michael had always wanted to become an electrician as it is something he is interested in and believed that becoming an electrician would improve his future prospects - especially due to the qualifications and trade skills on offer.

Michael struggled to find an apprenticeship due to his age however the opportunity to join Fortem’s prestigious apprenticeship scheme came up and it suited him perfectly. The changeup from his previous job was a challenge as he took a pay cut however this demonstrated Michael’s determination to learn and progress in his career.

Michael is truly a standout apprentice, his hard work and commitment has stood out from the crowd. He has achieved Operative of the Month at the Orbit branch and won Apprentice of the Year in 2017 at Fortem’s Annual Trade & Apprentice Awards.

In a year or two Michael would like to enrol as a Fortem management trainee once he has learnt his trade and gained more experience as an electrician. Moving forward Michael wants to “Hopefully progress into a management role in the future, stay with Fortem for many years to come and progress within the company.”

Before joining Fortem at the age of 19, Mia was studying a BTEC Level 2 electrical engineering qualification at college. As well as studying hard, Mia was working two part time jobs in order to make ends meet and give her family the financial support they needed.

At the age of 11 Mia found out that she had severe dyslexia. This continued to affect her learning and while she was working extremely hard with her studies and two part-time jobs, she received little support meaning she had to leave college.

Mia continued to work her part time roles while applying for apprenticeships, as she wanted to continue her studies while earning a wage. She had always wanted to work in a trade role in the construction industry so when she found Fortem advertising their apprenticeship scheme she thought that it would be the perfect fit. After going through the recruitment process, things were starting to look up for her and she was offered a role on the scheme.

While Mia is very much at the beginning of her career with Fortem she has already got big ambitions; these include completing her carpentry BTEC Level 2 next year and starting her two year electrical qualification (continued from her previous studies) which will enable her to become a highly valuable, multi-skilled trade operative.

Mia is now finally getting the extra support which she had always needed within Fortem and cannot thank her mentors and colleagues enough. Her tutors at her new college have been so supportive and as a result she has passed all of her assignments so far - a big step in the right direction.

The professionalism and friendliness of everyone at Fortem has really stood out for Mia, this opportunity has enabled her to not only continue with her studies but support her family at the same time as building a bright future for herself.

Mia said of her apprenticeship; “I love it and would encourage everyone who is thinking about joining Fortem to do so especially those who are looking for something more practical related rather than theory based. Everyone is so helpful and you will never feel discriminated against. Just go for it! Working with Fortem gives you the opportunity that other companies wouldn’t such as the opportunity to get involved in a great amount of community work. I have been heavily involved in community activities and really enjoy going to events especially those which encourage females into the construction industry.”

Laurence Lawson joined Fortem as a carpenter apprentice for Birmingham South 2 years ago at the age of 18. Before joining Fortem Laurence says “I had some prior experience doing carpentry working with my dad and also at another firm but that wasn’t an apprenticeship”.

For Laurence being in a classroom had never really appealed to him as he is a hands-on learner. The apprenticeship scheme gave Laurence the ability to earn money whilst still learning. Laurence still goes to college once a week in order to achieve his Level 3 qualification however he says “going one day a week worked for me because I could then put into practice what I had learnt”.

Before joining Fortem Laurence was working a part-time job in a fast food restaurant whilst also doing an unpaid carpentry course, naturally the apprenticeship role appealed to him as he could commit fully to his career in carpentry. With Laurence’s Dad being a carpenter Laurence himself soon realised he wanted to follow in his footsteps, saying “I had always enjoyed working with him and decided that it was the right job for me. I wanted to learn more about it and work in a reactive environment”

The future is bright for Laurence; he received the highly commended award for apprentice of the year and he is committed to learning more and expanding his knowledge. When asked what he thinks of the apprenticeship scheme he said “This is a great company to learn all round general carpentry and repairs.”

Dawn joined Fortem at the age of 37 in August 2015 as an apprentice electrician in our Orbit branch, Stratford-Upon-Avon. Prior to joining the apprenticeship scheme Dawn was at college and had received an offer to undertake a teaching degree at her chosen university. She wanted a change of career having worked in her previous role for 7 years. Working as a teacher would enable her to take the holidays off with her 2 little boys and as she is a single parent, this was really important to her.

After speaking to her friend who worked as a trade at Fortem Dawn found out about the apprenticeship scheme and was really drawn to the fact that it would enable her to be financially stable, learn a trade and spend as much time with her family as possible without having student debt to pay back. She filled out an application, received an offer and declined her place on the teaching degree.

Four years later and Dawn has nearly finished her Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Installing Electro Technical Systems at JTL Aston, Birmingham and is looking forward to graduating this year as a fully qualified electrician.

When Dawn graduates she says she wants to continue building on her skills and experience at Fortem, “I could not think of a better place to qualify. I can’t wait to see what the future holds. I would encourage anyone to apply for a trade role. This has allowed me to provide for my boys and work towards my goals; it is like a family here, the support and kindness I have received is amazing.”

Richard Jepson is a very dedicated apprentice electrician working out of the Rotherham branch.

Richard joined Fortem 5 years ago as a community caretaker with a BA Hons degree in Public Service Management. After working in our Rotherham branch he soon became interested in the apprenticeship scheme and after 2 years, with support from his production manager and supervisor, he was offered the opportunity.

Richard had no prior experience as an electrician however he was recommended it and was able to learn and adapt to the new environment quickly. He is currently working towards a Level 3 qualification at college and says, “Training is going well.” Richard attends college once a week, saying, “I don't mind being at college, I enjoy learning about my trade.”

In 2016 Richard won Fortem’s Young Person’s Award for Customer Excellence, a well-deserved achievement for his commitment and hard work. When asked what he thought of this he said, “I was shocked that I had won something but it’s nice to see your effort rewarded.”

Since starting his apprenticeship 2 years ago at the age of 25 he has already proven to be a valuable member to Fortem. Throughout his career Richard has had a very positive outlook on his work; where many people do what they are comfortable with Richard will always go the extra mile. When asked what he wants in the future he says, “Keep learning my trade and improving myself.”