Meet Lance, Ryan and Brad, all members of OnSite’s latest cohort of apprentices. Lance and Ryan, 22, are clean water operative apprentices in the main laying team, whilst, Brad, 17, is a clean water operative apprentice in the Coventry lead pipe replacement team. We took five minutes to catch up with them for a quick Q&A about all things apprenticeship!
Click to navigate
- Can you describe your apprentice role with OnSite?
- Why did you choose an apprenticeship with OnSite?
- What does a typical day look like for you?
- What sort of things are you learning in class and on site?
- What do you enjoy most about your apprenticeship?
- Would you recommend an apprenticeship?
- What are your future ambitions?
Can you describe your apprentice role with OnSite?
Lance: I’m an apprentice at the moment so my role includes arriving on site and preparing tools and equipment that we may need for the job, including setting up the area with barriers, signage and overhead cones. I CAT and Genny* the area that we’re working in to detect any cables and then mark them before asking one of my other colleagues to check over my work to make sure it’s done correctly.
*CAT and Genny are cable avoidance tools used to detect and trace underground utilities.
Ryan: My role is very similar to Lance’s. We’re apprentices but we’re trying to learn our trade. We’re trying to understand and pick up knowledge where we can of what the teams do, what goes where and what equipment is needed.
Brad: My apprenticeship is a bit different to Lance and Ryan’s. I don’t work on the main laying team. I work on replacing supply pipes to customers’ homes. So, I learn more about digging, connecting new services on mains and relaying services to houses.
Why did you choose an apprenticeship with OnSite?
Lance: Before this job, I was a labourer on construction sites, and I wanted to do something more practical. I went to a job fair where I spotted apprenticeship opportunities. This led me to OnSite where I had an interview with Mick Clark (OnSite’s General Support Manager), and a few weeks later got a call offering me the apprenticeship, and that’s where it started.
Ryan: I was working for OnSite before, but I was looking for a new job. I wasn’t excited in my old job and didn’t enjoy it as much anymore. I saw the apprenticeship on the Gov website, and I wanted something where I knew I could pick up a skill and qualification. As I was looking at the job advert, it was listing some good benefits, such as gaining an NVQ, training cards and a lot of experience and it appealed to me. So, I applied and a few weeks later I got an email inviting me to the Tipton yard for an interview, and it progressed from there.
Brad: I was working at a tyre place and had applied to many apprenticeships through the Gov website, as I wanted a qualification behind me. I received a call from OnSite one day and spoke to my parents about it. They told me that OnSite was a big company and I could get a good future with them, so I decided to come in for the interview.
Ryan: There are many pathways with OnSite and many places to use your skills. It’s not just water; it’s groundwork and technical work so there are a lot of opportunities to explore.
Lance: For me, this apprenticeship is more practical. I get to learn a lot more and gain more hands-on experience.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Lance: We get our job packs in the morning from the supervisor which tell us about the requirements for the job. As we’re driving to the site, we’ll check the site plans and other utilities that might be around. Once we’re on site, we put our PPE on before we get out the van and get our tools and equipment ready. We start the work once the team leader has done a risk assessment
Ryan: The job pack includes details of everything we will find in that area. My role is very similar to Lance, depending on what stage of the job we are at. If we are five days into a role, we would probably be doing fittings.
Brad: Every one or two days I’m at different houses putting a new supply in, deciding where the hole can be dug and making sure it’s okay with the customer. Then we will dig out all the holes and mole the new supply in. I talk to new customers pretty much every day, checking they are happy with the work we are doing around their homes.
What sort of things are you learning in class and on site?
Lance: Health and safety, legislation and laws, customer service, body language and communication. Once we finished a class session, we had two days to look through the slideshows and answer questions. The trainer would then check over our work and give us any corrections that were needed.
Ryan: When I started, I didn’t know how to use a shovel properly or how to dig around cables. We are constantly learning new skills to help us do our jobs properly, whether that be practical or theory, such as reading drawings, planning around work and safely operating our tools. We also work with customers and must learn to communicate effectively in ‘work mode’.
Lance: Every day is a learning day. We are always learning something new.
Brad: Even people who are aged 40+ in the business are still learning.
Lance: We’ve had training for things like moleing, using CAT and genny, water pipe fittings and health and safety.
Ryan: We even went on a tarmacking course. There’s loads of courses and we’ve all completed them at the same time.
Lance: This is a job where you join, learn loads and get put out there with a team and get to expand the skills you’ve learnt so you’re more confident doing the job on a day-to-day basis.
Brad: You must soak it up quickly being an apprentice because you are there, on the job, doing the work.
What do you enjoy the most about your apprenticeship?
Lance: I enjoy meeting new people; I enjoy the work. It’s more practical and I’m learning.
Brad: I enjoy being in different places on different days, so it’s not always the same place and same thing.
Ryan: All the lads are good here and it’s an enjoyable place to work from what I’ve seen so far. OnSite did a good job of picking the apprentices. All the lads get along and seem to have bonded well on the apprenticeship. I like how we’ve been given a choice about what we wanted to do. It lets you enjoy your job a bit more. I enjoy being outside, on site and left to my own devices. I’m trusted to get on with the job.
Would you recommend an apprenticeship?
Brad: I would recommend an apprenticeship because you get a qualification out of it, which you can take forward in your life to move on to better roles in the future. It helps you gain a lot more knowledge and theory than just going straight for a job.
Lance: While doing an apprenticeship, you have your time for classroom sessions alongside actually being out there and doing the work. So, you’re learning and having a go at what you’re learning, rather than being put on the spot in a new job.
Ryan: You’re doing the work in a practical situation and gaining hands-on experience. I would recommend an apprenticeship if you knew the work was what you wanted to do. If you know the cold isn’t for you or you don’t like being in dirty holes outdoors, then it might not be for you. But I would recommend it if you knew you are interested in that certain aspect. If you aren’t too keen, then don’t bother as you will waste a year and a half. It’s only an apprenticeship wage so it’s a lot less money which you need to think about as well.
What are your future ambitions?
Lance: I want to learn more skills within the company and get more training cards. I’m not too sure about longer term but I want to carry on working here and see how it goes.
Ryan: I want to build up more of my experience in practical and theory and be a lot wiser in my job. When you build up so many years in the job it comes as second nature, so I just want to build on my experience and become a trusted team member.
Brad: I want to work up to being a team leader and learn a specialist skill, maybe flow and line techniques so I’ve got another qualification behind me.
Interested in an apprenticeship? We currently have no opportunities available but please keep an eye on our careers page which we keep updated with our latest vacancies.
