When approached by Anya & the team at The Electrical Academy to see if I wanted to take part in writing a blog about my journey whilst studying at the Academy I was curious to know why. Anya’s answer was simple, this could be a great insight for future potential students to hear what it is like to train with us, what the courses are like, what the academy is like and not from the people teaching it or a marketing guru but rather via a first-hand student account, no selling, no finessing, just a chance for an individual to detail out their time here , what they found difficult, what they liked, and what they didn’t like. To be an insight for anyone considering a career in the electrical industry and whether or not this was a career for them.

With an explanation like that I couldn’t really say no. I thought to myself that I actually wish this was done prior to beginning my search for a training academy as all of the information provided on websites are curated by the people either trying to sell the courses or running the institutions. I wanted to hear from a student on what it was like to study there, did they achieve what they wanted to achieve, are they happy with their choice to study there after time.

So in hope of giving other potential students an insight in to what it is like , here goes my first ever blog! I have to confess I am not a professional at this and possibly some times along the way I may make a bit of a mess of it, but hopefully throughout the duration anyone reading this may find it somewhat informative, helpful in your decision making and potentially slightly fun.

I have always been the type of person who had an interest in doing hands-on work and entering a career path that allows me to do this, the thought of sitting at a desk all day was just not something that was going to interest me. When graduating from school I immediately went on to become a Warehouse Operative, eventually rising to the position of Operations Manager. This was never something I ever really wanted to do and I did not particularly enjoy it. There was nothing wrong with the job, I worked with a great group of people and the company itself was more than fair to me, it was just that I knew this was not something for me, I wanted to do something else, I wanted to do something more.

I knew I wanted to work in a different field and that I wanted to learn the skills that I could use for the rest of my life. I have quite a few friends and people I know that work in the electrical industry and through conversations with them this sparked my interest (no pun intended) They all spoke very highly of the profession, the training that you would require to get qualified, how it was a hands on job and there was a variety of different work and fields you could go in to and even dangled that carrot that Electricians are one of the highest paid trades in the UK.

This sounded exactly what I was looking for, skills that I could have for the rest of my life, a variety of career options when finished and at the end of the day, the potential to earn some decent bank and set myself up for a better future.

So here I was ready to begin my journey, as most people would when looking for something I went straight online to the Guru of all good things………Google, to see where I could find the right place to study to get where I wanted. Enter Google Search Terms “Electrical training courses near me” BOOM! 869,000,000 results in 0.57 seconds the guru of the internet presents to me…..wow what a minefield

So began the laborious task of sifting through the mountain of courses and providers on offer and to try and find the right one for me. To be fair at first it was hard to distinguish which were courses that would get me qualified or which were short courses that would lead to more courses. My search was going on during the pandemic so getting a chance to tour campuses and meet people was tough but possible. One of training providers whom I got to meet and tour with was The Electrical Academy.

What really stuck out to me when meeting the team at The Electrical Academy was the people. Anya had so much time to talk to me about what I wanted to achieve, what courses I wanted study and also taking the time to introduce me to other students currently studying there so I could hear from them, how they had found studying there and what they were looking to do when finishing. They had time to answer all of my questions and to advise me on which paths I could take (including ones that were not at their training academy) and when looking in to it further offered qualifications that could be used for life.

There were a few reservations about joining a trade that is so heavily dominated by males, worried that I may not fit in or be left on my own,  but these worries quickly disappeared the more and more I spoke to Anya and the team.

After a few more visits and bits of research on other institutions my decision was made. I wanted to do my study at The Electrical Academy. I felt happy about my decision, the people who would be teaching me, the courses I would be studying and the qualifications I would be getting by the end of it.

Then roll on day 1! Nerves kick in just like being back at school. The not knowing anyone, and starting to wonder “have done the right thing?”.  It’s a weird feeling going from being a confident adult leading a daily life to going back to that school environment. But just like at school on day one I found myself a buddy. And just like in school when you find that buddy you end up having someone that you do everything with! Sitting together, study together, eating together, and much more.

The first month of the course began and whilst we had a decent combination of theory and practical work to begin with, we did spend a considerable amount of time focusing on health & safety and safe isolation. The more and more we delved in to this I could actually see why this was an important starting point At the end of the day the electrical industry can be a dangerous environment if you don’t have the proper training and information. Starting with these key points prior getting our hands on anything is a smart way to ensure we don’t have any accidents.

I have to say I was a little worried initially when I realised how much maths and physics were involved in the course, these were not my strongest subjects whilst at school and to be fair like most students in school think “when will I use most of the stuff ever learned in these subjects ever again?”. Well just as lady luck would have it there is a fair whack of maths and physics involved in the early stages, but the way it is taught and explained through the process has made it significantly easier to digest! It’s also the first time I have ever owned a scientific calculator and made use of all those additional buttons!

After completing my first month at The Electrical Academy, I can say I’m incredibly happy with the teachers’ amazing level of expertise and the time they take to make sure I understand everything and answer any questions I have in depth. I had no idea how much theory work went into being an electrician and am looking very much forward to getting the hands on experience but for now happy to be learning things that will keep me and others around me safe.

I hope that someone reading this will find some of it helpful towards their next steps, whatever they may be. And hopefully you will tune in next month for an update on how my second month is going.