It's (Still) National Apprenticeship Week!

12th February 2021

The Construction industry has always been at the forefront of innovation, in order to meet changing customer needs and societal expectations – as well as leading the way in creating and implementing more sustainable and green solutions.  Apprentices have always played an integral role throughout every aspect of our industry, bringing with them fresh perspectives, bright ideas and helping to #BuildTheFuture.

We would like to introduce you to Joe, one of our current FHP apprentices who is doing just that.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Joseph Crisp, I am 28 years old and work in the London FHP office.  Outside of work I enjoy working out and socialising with friends and family.

What is your Job/Apprenticeship Title?

Graduate Electrical Engineer 

What qualification are you studying towards?

I am currently working towards my BEng Building Services Engineering.

When did you join FHP?

April 2018

Did you have any prior training or qualifications?

Level 2 & 3 City & Guilds Electrical Installation

What made you choose a career in this industry?

My dad works within the industry which gave me a great insight to the role and what the job would be like.  

How did you hear about the apprenticeship opportunity at FHP?

I had originally contacted FHP for work experience over the summer whilst in my first year of studying where they offered me a change over to an apprenticeship role. I jumped at the chance as I thought it would be a great opportunity to start my career in engineering. 

What is it like working at FHP?

Working at FHP has been a great experience, it has given me the opportunity to learn in a real world practical sense outside of university learning and work alongside experienced Engineers which means I always have a wealth of knowledge at my disposal!

What impact do you feel you’ve had since joining?

I feel I have become a valuable member of the team during my time at FHP, I have been assisting engineers on larger projects undertaking smaller tasks such as calculations and minor design work which frees up time their time and also gives me experience learning the foundations, I have recently even found myself teaching graduate engineers who are new to the industry certain aspects of the job due to the knowledge I have now gained since being at FHP. 

What have you learned?

At FHP I have learned valuable fundamental principles in Electrical Engineering which have aided and enhanced my learning whilst studying at university. I have been involved in several residential projects and have successfully delivered 2 small residential projects myself which I am immensely proud of. I have recently been exposed to larger commercial projects and from the start of my career at FHP committed to learn and expose myself to the software required to design M&E services within buildings.

What do you enjoy most?

I definitely enjoy working as part of a team on projects the most, it’s great to work alongside experienced engineers which you can learn from and understand how things are done differently. I also enjoy using the software packages and using these to aid my own design work. I have also found it very personally rewarding visiting a site and seeing the services being installed using the drawings you have designed and created.      

What do you want do next?

I want to continue developing my skills and experience at FHP and go onto managing my own projects and team.  In the short term, I am working towards completing my degree and will be looking in the future at gaining chartership with CIBSE.

What advice would you give to people thinking about joining an apprenticeship scheme?

I would definitely recommend joining an apprenticeship scheme, it allows you to use your real-world experience gained whilst working and implementing them into your studies to assist and further yourself. It may be a longer route than a full-time degree or course but having the time alongside studying working in the industry means you will have gained a lot more knowledge and understanding, which in turn makes you more valuable than someone has just completed their studies in a more traditional way!

We hope you all join us in celebrating Joe and his achievements so far.  Well done!