Tom Harder is now on his dream apprenticeship at Schneider Electric.
When Tom Harder went on a trip to Schneider Electric whilst in sixth form at UTC Leeds, he decided he wanted to work for them. Now, aged 18, his dream has come true and he is doing a two-year apprenticeship.
Tom secured the position after attending an assessment centre and several interviews. He explains, “I had to research the company and show how passionate I was about the apprenticeship.”
Schneider Electric has a presence in over 100 countries and is a world leader in power management. The company is helping to find new digital solutions for energy management and automation in all kinds of situations like homes, buildings, data centres and industry. Schneider’s solutions are part of the “Internet of Things” where technology seamlessly connects, collects, analyses and acts on data in real time.
In such a big, high tech company there are many opportunities for personal development and progression. Tom feels he is already benefiting: “They train you up well, they’re a big company so there are big opportunities to grow as a person. For example, all the new recruits had a full week of induction training at Telford with a factory tour and lots of talks. We did the course at a special venue, so that all the apprentices and graduates could do the induction together.”
Tom goes to college once a week to do an HNC in Electrical Engineering as part of his apprenticeship and says, “The company pays for your college course or your university course and you’re guaranteed a job afterwards. It’s really good, I’m loving it.”
Tom attended sixth form at UTC Leeds and feels that it gave him an edge in applying to Schneider: “I think my time at UTC Leeds definitely helped me to get this position. Some of the stuff I learned at the UTC I use on a day-to-day basis. If I hadn’t come here it would have been quite hard to do the stuff I’m doing now. The UTC also opened up the opportunity for me to contact Schneider, as I wouldn’t have known about them if I’d not had the trip from the UTC.”
Tom’s tips for current Year 12 and 13 students at the UTC are, “If you’re sure you want to do something, then don’t stop till you’re on the right track. Or if you don’t know what you want to do, keep try new things because it’s only then you’ll realise whether you like it nor not, and always put yourself out there.”
