How my desire for a more hands-on, practical career led me to the TIS Apprenticeship Academy
Why did I decide to do an apprenticeship? I’ve never been too keen on the idea of spending my entire career working in an office. As somebody who’s very hands-on, outdoorsy (partial to a bit of camping!) and eager for new experiences, I’ve always known that the right path would allow me to sink my teeth into a new challenge everyday and get my hands dirty.
Which is why this apprenticeship appealed to me in the first place, because while there is a lot of coursework, we’re out in the field applying all that we’ve learnt in the classroom regularly. And as somebody who learns by doing, this process of being taught something new and then cementing those insights through practice has been really helpful.
At the Academy, multiple areas of expertise within fire and security are combined into one apprenticeship, making it truly varied. The course curriculum is all about learning how all the systems work together and we’re constantly being exposed to new information; one day we’ll be learning about the latest tech in CCTV integration and the next, delving into the ins and outs of fire security. It’s this variety that makes me really excited for the next few years at the Academy.
My sense of the Academy so far is that while it is very technical, catering to the unique business objectives of TIS, it also teaches us what the company stands for from very early on. We’re constantly learning about the company’s ethos and values and what is the acceptable and best code of conduct for the business.
I’m excited to develop in the course and hopefully by the end of the third year, to be confident in my ability to enter into premises, accurately assess the system in place and identify potential non-compliance / areas of improvement, before making accurate diagnoses on how these can be fixed or optimised.
Prior to this apprenticeship, I was working in a totally different field with no concrete sense of direction in terms of a long-term career path. But now that I’ve enrolled in the Academy, I feel like I have a concrete plan for the future and once qualified, a level of career direction unmatched in the market.
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