DIY SOS star sparks great conversation with students in National Apprenticeship Week

Oaklands College kicked off National Apprenticeship week in style, when a tradesman from one of the nations most loved prime-time DIY shows dropped in to St Albans Campus to speak to students.

Billy Byrne, notorious electrician from the BBC ‘DIYSOS’ team visited the College to speak to both Apprentices and full time students about the opportunities around Apprenticeships and working in trades for a future career, to mark the first day of National Apprenticeship Week.

The TV-star was joined by Jake Green from Electrical Contracting body NICEIC and industry veteran Tony Cable, formerly of the NICIEC and current representative for electrical accessories supplier Scolmore.

The trio began their visit at the College’s Electrical Installation department, speaking to full time Level 1 students before delivering a presentation to Electrical Installation Apprentices, on their day release session at College ahead of the rest of the week on site with their chosen employer.

The visitors took the time to share both their personal and professional experiences of Apprenticeships, and imparted some great tips from years of experience in the trade to the next generation of budding electrical professionals.

Speaking to the Apprentices, Billy said: “In today’s market, firms want to keep hold of the very best skilled tradespeople they have and an Apprenticeship is a great opportunity to prove yourself, develop your skills and show what you’re really made of.

“They always say once you have a trade you have a job for life – that is true, but you can’t be complacent. There are great opportunities for young people to learn about new opportunities in our industry that weren’t around in my day, like Smart Technology. Those who succeed adapt with the times and never stop learning. ”

After presentation with some valuable industry insight from the NIECEIC, the special guests continued a brief tour of the College’s other trade departments, chatting to students in Carpentry and Bench Joinery, Brickwork and Plumbing before enjoying a lunch with invited guests at the College restaurant The Stables.

After the visit, Tony Cable said: “I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the visit, I was very impressed with the dedication of the staff and the enthusiasm of the students. We are passionate about inspiring the next generation of skilled trades people – these guys have a great opportunity in an Apprenticeship to kick start their careers and National Apprenticeship Week is a great way to celebrate this opportunity.”

Are you Interested in An Apprenticeship? Find out all the great opportunities we offer at Oaklands College