A desk job was never going to ‘spark‘ CONEL student Ellis’s interest. “Electrical work….it can take you round the world.”

Electrical Apprentice, Ellis Hamilton always knew he wanted a job that kept him on his feet and busy. Sitting down at a desk was never going to float his boat.

Luckily the College of Haringey, Enfield and North London (CONEL) offered Ellis the opportunity of an electrical apprenticeship in construction.

Ellis now spends four out of five days on site and one in college exploring the theory behind the trade. This is a good balance for Ellis who intends to work in the field to extend his knowledge and experience, then set up his own electrical business in the future.

Ellis is a great advocate for the apprenticeship scheme. He is currently coming to the end of his time at CONEL as an Electrical Apprentice and would thoroughly recommend both the College and his course.

Ellis said: “I would say that this college provides a lot of opportunities. I want to be a successful person, someone that’s in control of their own life, works for themselves and has their own company. I feel that this college with the education it provides helps you to do this.

“Growing up and sitting in a classroom at school, my attention span wasn’t very good, I’m much more hands on. I like to find out how things work, I like taking things apart and putting them back together. I have family members that are in the electrical professional and they recommended using these skills and transferring them into this field. As soon as I was on the construction site as an apprentice, I knew it was what I wanted to pursue. Electrical work can take you anywhere, it can take you around the world. The future is exciting.

“We have two teachers, one for theory and one for NVQ work. They talk to each other about the students and if one teacher can’t assist you in a particular area, the other one will step in. The teachers are ex-electricians, so they are all knowledgeable having been hands on. The library is very good too, they have all the electrical books I need for my work and the laptops are up to date. As a whole, the learning centre is very good.

“I would definitely recommend to start an apprenticeship as early as you can. It’s a very good scheme, you’re learning and earning and getting skills you need to take into the real world.”

Apprenticeships offer a variety of training opportunities at different levels of your career, whether you are just starting out or you are the director of your team, there are always opportunities. CONEL deliver their Apprenticeships through Capital City College Training, the training arm of Capital City College Group.

If you choose to study one of our construction or plumbing courses or Apprenticeships this could lead to a role such as: (Annual salary)
Plumber: £30,680
Carpenter: £30,680
Bricklayer: £27,040
Painter/Decorator: £25,480
Electrician: £31,200
Building Surveyor: £41,080

The UK workforce is projected to grow by 6% over the period to 2024, creating 1,974,000 jobs. In the same period, 39.5% of the workforce is projected to retire, creating 13,110,000 job openings. Now is a great time to gain the skills you need to kickstart your career.