We recently sat down with our Head of Technical and Customer Experience Dean Asher to discuss his new apprentices and investment in the Polypipe Technical team.
Following this we spoke to Nathan McNeil, one of the new members of Dean's team, to find out more about him, his advice for people considering apprenticeships and to find out about his time at Polypipe so far.
What apprenticeship are you studying?
Technical Estimator Apprentice – HNC At Rotherham college.
What’s something you wanted to do when you were younger?
Quantity surveying.
Favourite subject in school, and why?
PE - I use to love the physical activity.
Maths - I feel mathematics was the one subject that I clicked with and advancing through the levels was fulfilling.
Why are apprenticeships good for companies?
Investing in people is good for many reasons such as; loyalty to the firm that you work for which motivates you, increases productivity and office morale. Financial subsidies from the government. Knowledge can be brought back from the college into the office that doesn’t only benefit the apprentice but everyone surrounding them because potentially the apprentice can teach senior members of staff on the new material. Future planning, when the senior members are looking to move on/retire there will be a qualified and experienced member of staff ready to pick their job up.
Why was an apprenticeship right for you?
University wasn’t the lifestyle that I wanted to live however with an apprenticeship I can work hard and reap the benefits. Upon completion of the apprenticeship I’ll have experience and the right qualification in the field that I want to go into. The opportunity to learn as you work is priceless in my opinion because gaining a degree for a job that you’ve never done before or had experience in could mean you’ve wasted 4 years at uni studying for something that you don’t enjoy doing but with an apprenticeship it’s the opposite, you’re learn for the job that you know that you enjoy.
What’s some advice you’d give to young people thinking about doing an apprenticeship?
Consider your strengths and weaknesses, what you enjoy and what you’re good at. By establishing this common ground you can look into a sector suited to you, at 18 not many people know exactly what they want to do but as soon as you know the direction that you want to head in an apprenticeship is perfect because opportunities will come up and you can take the right route for yourself.
How have you found Polypipe?
I found Polypipe when I was browsing estimator/QS apprenticeships. I saw the apprenticeship so I had a look into the company, I found out that Polypipe has earned awards for investing in people which instantly took my interest. After further reading on the job spec and Polypipe website I decided to apply.
What is your general role at Polypipe?
Underfloor heating technical estimator apprentice- designing UFH positioning and providing cost estimations predominantly on a domestic scale.
What’s something you do every day at Polypipe?
Morning meetings daily to discuss workload, management briefings and important matters in order to have good communication within the office. Using CAD systems to provide estimations to customers and as an apprentice every day I’m learning new ways to become more productive and improve my knowledge.
What has been your most notable experience at Polypipe so far?
The most notable experience so far has been undertaking the 2 day BPECC underfloor heating installation course at the professional development centre at the Kirk Sandall site. The course provided me with an essential basic knowledge on underfloor heating which I’ve implemented every day since, understanding how the system works is much more useful than just seeing it on a computer screen.
What keeps you busy at the weekends?
My girlfriend takes up a lot of time, Sheffield United FC and socialising with friends.
Where is your favourite place to go on holiday?
Canery Islands or Beleric Islands
Tell us something about yourself that would surprise us?
I use mayo instead of butter on my sandwiches.