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 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.
Since completing my apprenticeship, my job role is Project Manager for Danbro Electrical.
I enjoy the problem-solving aspect the most. Each project brings different challenges and I enjoy finding practical solutions.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The job role that I moved into after completing my apprenticeship was Refrigeration Service Technician Engineer with Epta Refrigeration Services.
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.
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.
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.
“My experience at College of Northwest London, has been exciting, it has been thrilling and it has been full of opportunities, and we have the tutors that help us whenever we’re in need. We go on educational trips to get a feel for what university life is like. We have the careers advisors that help us on our path, our university path.”
“At City of Westminster College, my experience has been the best of all the other colleges I’ve attended. The reason I like CWC is because the teachers make my journey easier with assessment and exams. I’m a Level Two Science student and I enjoy my lessons because most of them are practical, which are helpful for me. I love studying at CWC because you meet people from other countries – all over the world and from all different communities.”
“The facilities here are brilliant. You have range of courses you can study. My teachers in the Performing Arts department have got history in the industry, which is very useful. You get to ask them for advice and actual knowledge from the industry, and take that into your own work within the college also afterwards. ”
“My favourite thing about studying here has definitely got to be the teachers. They’re really helpful, kind and in the industry, so it’s good.”
“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 and the understanding of electrical systems.”
“My experience studying at City of Westminster College has been amazing. It’s been so welcoming; I enjoy it very much because of the staff members we have here. They’re very approachable and I could come to them with any question, and it will be answered straight away. And if I come early for a class, I can use the Learning Resources Centre, I can use the computers, the books, just to continue all my studies outside the classroom time.”
“The training process was seamless. I had good instructors who were very flexible, supporting people of all learning levels. On the last day after our exams, a security company came and did a presentation. We had the opportunity to have an interview afterwards. I told them about my experiences, and they said I would be a good fit. I formally applied for a role and started with the company soon after. Getting into security has opened doors for me. I hope I will continue to take steps up the career ladder.”
“Coming to study at the City of Westminster College was the best decision that I had ever made. The teachers are very accommodating – they help you learn things in a way that might be easier for you to learn. They are very supportive and I think that’s one of the best things about learning here.”
“I was so grateful to have won Apprentice of the Year at the West London Business Awards 2026, I could not have done it without the support my company Size Group and the College of North West London.”
