To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, we caught up with current IT apprentice, Taranvir Dhillon

National Apprenticeship Week is a government-led initiative, running from the 5th – 9th March 2018 – celebrating the breadth and depth of apprenticeships available in England.

At McCann, we recognise the value of apprenticeships. In 2017, we successfully became a member of the 5% Club – a scheme that recognises businesses with 5% or more of its workforce working towards an apprenticeship. To mark National Apprenticeship Week, we caught up with IT apprentice, Taranvir Dhillon, to see how he’s finding life with McCann and why he chose to go down the apprenticeship route.

What have you specialised in for your apprenticeship?

I am in the first year of my Infrastructure Technical Level 3 apprenticeship – which involves providing ongoing IT support on a daily basis and maintaining McCann’s IT network. This allows me to interact, and become familiar with general IT systems and servers, as well as solving problems and troubleshooting. It is all valuable experience for my future career.

What made you decide to do an apprenticeship?

I chose to do an apprenticeship because it allows me to learn and gain official qualifications alongside valuable work experience. In my opinion, in order to reach my goals and pursue my career – an apprenticeship is the way to go. I finished my first and second year of college studying IT and with the accreditation I gained, I decided to pursue an apprenticeship in order to maintain my strong work ethic and have an understanding of how my abilities can be directly transferred into the workplace.

What made you want to join McCann in particular for your apprenticeship?

My perfect career path is IT coupled with construction and infrastructure – so when I had the opportunity to work for McCann, I knew I had hit the jackpot. The qualifications open to me will stand me in good stead for the future where I hope to develop business links within the IT industry and provide cutting edge IT solutions for McCann’s construction challenges.

What do you enjoy about working as an apprentice for McCann?

I value the unconditional support McCann provides from all departments. Everyone is friendly, approachable and made me feel very comfortable – which is really important when I’m the youngest employee based at head office. John McCann even treated us to a free gym membership – which is a nice touch and a great way to look after staff and make us feel valued as employees.

How have you found the balance of studying and working at the same time?

It suits me down to the ground – for me there is no better way of maintaining a strong work ethic. Baltic Training provide excellent, in-depth courses, and McCann allow me time to study in the office alongside my day to day work – so I have the perfect balance. I have my own room where I can sit and work in peace and quiet if I need to, and the staff are always willing to help me with my work as and when required. I am very grateful for the high level of support I have received.

As well Taranvir’s IT apprenticeship, we also have apprentices studying electrical installation and highway maintenance – taking our current cohort to nine. To find out more about apprenticeships at McCann, email enquiries@jmccann.co.uk or call 0115 954 0166.