��������

The mission of �������� is to provide an environment for the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest level of excellence.  With this in mind, the Maintenance Department have enrolled two of their employees into apprenticeships at Cambridge Regional College, one in Electrical Maintenance and the other in General Maintenance.

We caught up with Mehmet Osman and Jason Badcock to hear about their experience of the four-year Electrical NVQ Level 3 course and the two-year Property Maintenance Operations NVQ Level 2 course respectively.

Mehmet said, “When I first started working at �������� in October 2015, I didn’t have much knowledge of electrics. Working with our Maintenance Buildings Services Supervisor, Peter Moore, and our College Electrician, Toby Wingfield, over time sparked my interest in electrics, and I began to learn to a lot with their supervision as I started taking on more tasks.

"I asked Peter and Richard Secker, our Maintenance Manager, whether I could go on a course in domestic electrical installation work, which they approved and I passed successfully. After another year or so flew by, I was very keen to further my knowledge, so Peter and Richard thought it would be beneficial for College if I took an NVQ to become a fully qualified electrician. Now as time goes on, I am becoming more and more confident in taking on electrics tasks and I am very grateful to the College for giving me the opportunity to pursue a profession which I am thoroughly enjoying.”

Jason commented, “The scheme I’ve had the opportunity to take part in teaches repairs and skills in each building trade. I am currently at the stage of assembling my portfolio, and have regular meetings with my assessors to discuss my progress. Once I have completed my portfolio, I will need to pass a theory and practical assessment in order to receive my qualification.

“Working and studying within a College with both historic buildings like our 12th-century Chapel, and modern buildings like our newly-built Porters' Lodge, has helped me gain a wide range of knowledge - especially on how to maintain different types of constructions. With the support of the College helping me develop and expand my skills, I have definitely been motivated to progress further in my career.”

Richard Secker added, “We now have a fully trained Gas Safe Engineer as part of our team and there are plans in the pipeline to enroll other members on vocational training schemes. Not only does �������� provide a fantastic education for its students, it also generously offers support for staff across all departments to retrain and gain various qualifications such as diplomas, NVQs and apprenticeships.”