“Good things come to those who wait.”

Dan Taylor is a 21 year-old Electrical Technician at Aker Solutions in Aberdeen.

When he left school at 16, Dan knew that an apprenticeship route was for him.  When the opportunity of an interview arose at Aker Solutions he didn’t hesitate to jump at the opportunity with both feet.

We spoke to Dan about how an apprenticeship in electrical engineering has been key to unlocking his potential.

Tell us a little about your experience as an apprentice.

In the first year of my apprenticeship, I attended college to obtain a Level 2 and NC in Electrical Engineering, essentially to learn the basics. Learning about test equipment, how to read and interpret drawings, solder, wire and all the basics to get myself started.

Once the first year was up, I then started working full time in the workshop, going through most departments, taking notes and actively showing a willingness to learn and better myself in the workplace.

In my third year I began a HNC qualification in Electrical Engineering in which I was on day release every week.

That sounds like quite a journey.

It was challenging but I received a lot of support from my employer which ultimately helped me land an A at the end of the HNC.

What have been your career highlights so far?

Achieving an A in my HNC is one of my biggest achievements so far.  Another notable one would be winning Most Improved Apprentice out of around 300 people at college in my first year.

I have had a lot of career highlights through being a part of a team, meeting deadlines, starting new projects etc. My most recent career highlight is being given the chance to study a degree in Electrical Engineering funded by my company.

Do you think your apprenticeship has equipped you with lifelong skills?

Coming into a workplace at a young age can be a daunting task, however you learn a lot of skills for life. You mature very quickly being around people with a lot more experience.  You learn how to communicate with different people, how to approach different scenarios, how to work as part of a real team and, particularly, how to push and better yourself. This has all been made extremely easy for me as Aker are constantly willing to help people succeed and push themselves out of their comfort zones to develop.

Do you think apprenticeships are important for the future?

Apprenticeships are vital to our economy. Without the skilled people that come from apprenticeship schemes, the economy would ultimately fail. Apprenticeships offer such a vast amount of opportunity for people from all backgrounds. They encourage and enable people to better themselves whilst learning new skills and gaining highly sought after qualifications.

If you could give one piece of advice to your 15-16 year-old self what would it be?

Even though I’ve finished my apprenticeship I’ve still got a hunger to learn and develop.  I would tell my younger self to be patient and not worry over the small things.

That’s my biggest piece of advice, have patience – good things come to those who wait.