Ella McKendry

In the duration of my apprenticeship i have mainly been involved in a lot of reactive maintenance work within the EA sector that involves light fixing replacements, socket replacements, fault finding, adding in additional lights or sockets, adding additional circuits to make room for more sockets, lights etc. Installing dado trunking and pulling in data cables, fixing or replacing existing appliances and very brief experience with steel containment. I have undergone and passed all assessments this far including my 107 practical assessment which i completed in the southern regional college (Armagh) in early December. I have also completed the required courses that i have needed within my current company i.e. asbestos, manual handling, CSR, abrasive wheels etc.

I was a kitchen porter the summer before i started my apprenticeship where i developed a lot of team working skills, having to work alongside other kitchen staff constantly communicating with each other in order to keep everything flowing, also being able to make my own judgements and decisions based off the knowledge i had built, being able to keep things moving in stressful situations, being able to do my job to the best standard i possibly could and variation in jobs and shifts meaning i could adapt to different workloads or environments if needed.

I worked as a farm hand for a short time before returning back to school where i gained many skills including active communication, being proactive and working off my own initiative, how to work under high pressured circumstances and how to work in a team. It allowed me the insight i needed into a hardworking environment where i then gained the passion to choose a career where i could be hands on and challenged.