Ex TTE Apprentice goes back to his roots to put the spark in future electricians
Former Electrical Engineering Apprentice Steven Harbin is hoping to inspire others by sharing his story.
Visiting TTE to deliver a guest talk, Steven was keen to let students know that if you work hard, anything is possible.
“I have a few basic principles that I followed and it’s good to be able to share this with the future workforce, it’s not rocket science but having some key solid foundations can really help you excel in your career.”
Steven started his Electrical Engineering career at TTE in 2009 as an Electrical Engineering apprentice.
“I absolutely loved my apprenticeship at TTE, I got the hands-on experience I needed and got to learn from some great tutors who were all down to earth – just like the people I work with now out in industry.
The whole apprenticeship gave me an invaluable head start as I was able to learn in a practical environment and gain experience out in the real world, learning how to work in a team, use my initiative and have general good work ethic.”
After his apprenticeship Steven was successful in securing a full-time position at SSI Steelworks as a Day Shift Electrician where he was soon recognised as an excellent member of the team, being able to hit the ground running due to his apprenticeship.
“Once you’ve got that qualification, you can go anywhere. My apprenticeship taught me a basic understanding of electrical but I also had the confidence to go out and work in industry because of everything I learnt, all built on the bedrock that TTE gave me.”
Steven was soon promoted to the Higher Level Shift Engineering team at SSI however had to find a new role when SSI unfortunately closed. He had a couple of roles which eventually led him to his current company Calden Conveyors, first as a Controls Engineer and then as a Project Manager.
“In my role at Calden I was able to travel the world, I have visited over 40 countries and states, it has not only been an amazing experience for my career prospects, it has also been an invaluable experience personally too.”
Steven is now a Project Manager at Calden and has come full circle, hiring his own apprentices from TTE, part of Middlesbrough College Group.
“I always tell people to picture where you want to be long term, then focus on the next step. Just keep working on it step by step and if you work hard and are committed, you’ll get there!”
“I love that I am now able to support young apprentices and be part of their career journey, I understand how important apprentices are to organisations as we can mould young people into the workforce we need, all before they even qualify. It also helps them hugely as they are able to hit the ground running.”
“It’s great to be able to come back and speak with students today and hopefully inspire them, TTE are the leaders in Technical training and apprenticeships, and I want people to know that once you get your qualification from them – the sky is the limit!”