Wondering where an apprenticeship can take you?
This National Apprenticeship Week, we’ve been catching up with some of our former apprentices to learn more about what life looks like after study. Lewis, Nathan and Andrew share how their apprenticeship helped them in their careers, and what’s next.
Lewis’ Story
Lewis joined College of North West London as an Electrical Apprentice and now works full time for DanBro Electrical, a fast growing electrical installation company with Commercial and Residential clients across London, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
What job/role did you move into after completing your apprenticeship and who is your employer?
Since completing my apprenticeship, my job role is Project Manager for Danbro Electrical.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy the problem-solving aspect the most. Each project brings different challenges and I enjoy finding practical solutions.
Which skills from your apprenticeship have helped you progress the most/what new skills have you learnt in your current role?
The technical knowledge and hands-on experience gained during my apprenticeship at College of North West London have been invaluable, particularly in understanding site processes, health and safety requirements for both me and the staff I manage, and the understanding of electrical systems.
In my current role I have developed new skills in project planning, budgeting, leadership, client communication and managing teams & subcontractors.
What are you working towards next in your career?
I am currently working towards further developing my project management skills and experience, with the aim of progressing into more senior project management roles within the electrical industry. In addition, after completing my Level 4 award in design and verification of electrical installations, I would like to further develop my electrical design skills to strengthen my technical knowledge to aid me in delivering more complex projects.
Nathan’s story
Nathan studied for his apprenticeship Level 3 in Refrigeration and Heat Pump Engineering at College of North West London. He achieved 95% attendance over the 3 year programme, and his dedication helped him to achieve Improving Student of the Year in the 2025 CNWL student awards. He now works for Epta Refrigeration Services.
What job/role did you move into after completing your apprenticeship and who is your employer?
The job role that I moved into after completing my apprenticeship was Refrigeration Service Technician Engineer with Epta Refrigeration Services.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
The thing that I enjoy most about my job is the fact that I am always at multiple different locations throughout the week. I enjoy the fact that pretty much every day you learn something new and there are always different challenges that you learn from in the field.
Which skills from your apprenticeship have helped you progress the most/what new skills have you learnt in your current role?
The skills that I acquired in the college workshop help me out a lot today, such as working on the rigs, brazing pipe work, and understanding the theory of Refrigeration and its parameters. In my current role, I am learning new skills on the job every day, and from other senior engineers.
What are you working towards next in your career?
I'm currently working towards a salary increase. I have advanced a lot since my apprenticeship and I have been allocated my own number of sites to oversee, so I will be working hard to get that recognised.
Andrew’s story
Andrew was an Electrical Apprentice at College of North West London and won Apprentice of the Year at the WorldSkills UK Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Heroes Awards 2025 for overcoming hardship and becoming a qualified electrician in August 2024. He now works full time for Rebus Electrical.
What job/role did you move into after completing your apprenticeship and who is your employer?
Rebus Electrical Ltd is my employer, and I moved up to becoming the Qualified Supervisor of the company where I now sign off certificates and manage a lot more than I did as an apprentice.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy the freedom that my job allows me to have. I don’t feel too restricted to a single project and I won’t be in the same place (be that site or job) for long. I also like meeting new people and building strong client relationships through good workmanship and trust.
Which skills from your apprenticeship have helped you progress the most/what new skills have you learnt in your current role?
Believe it or not, the part I hated the most about my apprenticeship was my site write ups and picture taking, but now that’s a lot of what I do in this new role. So, I would say that those annoying write ups and pictures helped me the most in my career because it covers me legally when I do electrical testing. It’s an essential paper trail if anything was to come up on a project that may need disputing. It’s a skill to always cover yourself.
What are you working towards next in your career?
Next in my career, I will be working on the Level 4 design aspect of electrical work and continue cementing my spot as one of the top young sparks out there! I also want to be refining my skills more and looking into different fields like solar energy, heat pump systems and fibre.