‘You get a sense of what the job is like and I love every minute of it’

AS Ali Miley’s Leaving Certificate drew closer last year, she was adamant she did not want to follow the well-worn path to college. She knew she needed to find something else.

“Some people in my year were signing up for apprenticeships with the ESB and they were encouraging me to go for it. They knew I didn’t want to go to college.

“Someone from the ESB came into the school and spoke to us about it. Ever since then I knew that it was what I had to apply for.”

Last September, the 19-year-old from Co Wicklow embarked on an apprenticeship programme with the company supported by SOLAS, the further education and training authority. This incorporates on- and off-the-job training, both in the field and in the classroom.

She loves turning up for work every day.

“At the moment I am training to climb the poles. For the past three months that has been our focus so I have been out on the poles with climbers.

“It takes a lot out of you but it’s great work.

“We do rotations through different sections within the ESB. At the moment we are learning about overheads (poles and cables), about transformers and how to bring electricity into homes.”

She knows that this job also means working in challenging conditions, such as working to reconnect power after storms and sometimes braving the elements. This doesn’t faze her.

“If a power outage came we would have no problem fixing it because there is great satisfaction in restoring the connection and seeing how grateful people are for what we do.

“We get to learn from people with experience about what it is like on the job. You get a sense of what the job is like and I love every minute of it.

“You get to use your hands. I’m not stuck in a book — that never appealed to me. It is hands-on and you get an understanding of how things work around you.

“We will also be looking at undergrounds, metering and other sections so I am looking forward to those.”

Her four-year apprenticeship can lead to a career with the ESB or other companies.

“At the end of the four years there are opportunities with the ESB, but you also hold a qualification, which opens the door to other avenues as well.

“I definitely think people should consider apprenticeships more often, especially if they don’t like learning from a book and prefer to learn through practical work. Apprenticeships provide plenty of opportunities to learn and develop.”