For those considering an apprenticeship in construction, we say don’t be afraid! There are many reasons why now is a great time to get on an M&E career ladder.
Apprentices are a vital part of increasing the labour resourcing within the construction industry and are especially needed in mechanical and electrical services. As an M&E contractor operating UK wide, DL M&E have been able to offer fantastic opportunities for apprentices to get involved in a wide range of building services careers. From training electrical starters on site to providing a first step on a career ladder in M&E design, DL M&E believe in grass roots career development in construction, learning alongside the best in the business.
Despite apprenticeship options in construction offering a superb and potentially lucrative career path (the current Managing Director of DL M&E was once an apprentice!), there remains some stigmas about construction culture. Thankfully today there is far more consideration for the welfare and inclusion of workers in our industry, with strides being made for greater gender equity and diversity.
It’s not just a socially safer environment to work in, but we’re glad to say that in today’s construction culture there’s also been steep improvement in overall health and safety standards. Safer working methods, better equipment and technology, and tighter regulations have contributed to less serious injuries and fatalities.
Using HSE data (Health, Safety and Environment: the national health and safety regulator in the UK), a report from Research Gate gives a historical timeline in Health & Safety improvement in construction:
1964–1974: deaths fell from 276 to 166—a 40% reduction.
1974–1984: deaths fell from 166 to 100—a 40% reduction.
1984–1994: deaths fell from 100 to 73—a 27% reduction.
In 2023/24, the reported number of deaths on construction sites stands at 51 (source: HSE). In the first quarter of 2024 there were 2.1 million people employed in UK construction.
DL M&E has an excellent health & safety record, with zero RIDDOR reportable injuries in the last 3years.
Like any work, there needs to be a talent and personality fit. Common attributes of our successful apprentices include:
Earlier this year we produced an apprenticeship video with interviews, which you can watch here. They provide their first hand experience working in mechanical and electrical services. But if you prefer to read everything our apprentices had to say, then you can see them all transcribed below. Our hope is that this encourages you to look at starting a career in construction and shows you the fantastic opportunities there are within mechanical and electrical building services. Take a look at our Careers page to learn more.
Hi, I'm Ryan. I'm a level three apprentice – electrical apprentice, and I've been at DL for three years now. I was in a job with no career progression. I moved to DL and I've not looked back ever since. It's been an absolute amazing experience.
You need to be committed to be an electrician. You've got to put the hours and time in, and you've got to learn and try and like get the knowledge, trying to get better at what you do every day. You've got to try and learn and carry on.
If you're a new apprentice, and say if you come straight out of school, college, whatever, it probably can be intimidating. But the lads at DL, they're all really nice people.
You've got to be a problem solver. You've got to be calm as well. You can't like let things get to you – can’t get annoyed if, if things are not going right, you've got to have the right mindset.
The training that DL provide is amazing. All they do is just keep giving training out to everyone and they really push for it. They really want the lads and women to excel and become the best of what they can be.
The portfolio is the main concern at the minute which is getting all your work together, writing a summary of what you've done, how you've done it, what materials you've used. It's just basically all getting ready for your AM2. Once that portfolio’s done, that's it. You go into your end of year test and that's it. I'm an electrician. I can do this job. There's a lot to go into. It's not just you become an electrician and that's it.
[Following working as an electrician]... maybe start off with being a foreman. Work your way up to being a project manager, contracts manager. Just keep going. I keep going high, as high as you can go, because the opportunities are endless.
Name's Theo. In my third year. About couple of months off from being able to do my AM2. I wanted to do my apprenticeship when I was 16, but fell into a job, got some money, ended up just working till I got to about 30 years old and I had an opportunity to do an apprenticeship with DL. I Just wanted a total change of career really – like I said, an opportunity came up and just took skills [from previous work]. And obviously, with the training, just got better and better at doing it.
When I first started, it was like an office fit out. And I think the first challenging thing I did was about 12 pendant lights that I needed to do [with help]. I’d only been there three weeks and they all had to be different heights, different levels, different everything. When you step back, you actually look at it and you’re thinking, “I've done that, it's actually good to look at”, and go, “Wow, that's actually quite smart”.
Don't let things stress you out too easy and you’ve just got to accept what's happening and just get on with the job at the end of the day; you've just got to know you are working long hours, not at home, and stuff like that really. You've got to prepare for and just try and get on with it.
I'm an adult apprentice; people might be put off for four years of not having a decent wage or not doing this just because you're older in your life. But it's a lot. It's worth it in the end once you get to where you are. And yeah, you get to know a lot of people, you get to have a laugh on site and things like that. You get to learn and get to see a lot of the country. So yeah, it's a good experience. Literally everywhere in the country, you go and get to see.
I couldn't ask for anyone better to really teach me what I've learned. I don’t think there is anyone that would have given more time to show them what to do.
People obviously are put off because you've got to do four years or whatever. It's worth it in the end, because you know what you’re getting out at the end of it: to be qualified and go from there.
My name is Daniel Roberts. I'm in the second year of my electrical apprenticeship with DL. When I left school, I went to college and then university to study in sports therapy, which is something that I just kind of fell into but wasn't enjoying. So I dropped out of university. I had to wait a few months and then eventually I got an interview. It was during Covid that I got an interview and they said that I had a start date in September to start my apprenticeship later that year.
I was really nervous, like really nervous because I had never been on a building site before. You heard things, when you've not worked in that industry, you heard things about people picking on apprentices or bullying them or giving them some grief. So, I was nervous about coming in. Then I got told to come and sign all my documents and got told by Julie (Human Resources) that I'd be working away, which I had a feeling with DL being a nationwide company – and my first job was in Beverley, near Hull and I met my supervisor Rob, for the first time. I just remember being really nervous. I didn't know anything. What anything was, or how to do anything. I was completely green, but I slowly got used to it.
I’ve personally built like good relationships on site. I’ve got good people teaching me and I’ve really enjoyed it so far.
You've got to get used to working longer hours and being out on site instead of being going from like college and university to being sat behind the desk quite a lot to being working actively. I think you need to be quite determined as well. This is something that I personally really want to do well in, make a good career out for myself. So, you've got to put the effort in, have good determination, not just turn up on site to just go with the flow, but actually learn and take in what people are saying to you and trying to show you and that's what I've just been trying to do so far and it seems to be working ok at the minute. Still got a long way to go, though.
With DL you’re obviously all over the country. I've worked in quite a few places that I've never been before. I've worked in Newcastle, Sunderland, Grimsby, Brighton, Beverley near Hull and a couple of other places.
I've enjoyed it to be honest, the weeks go quick when you're away. After work you’re only going back to a hotel or an apartment. So it's good – the days fly by and then obviously when you go home on Friday, it's a really good feeling being back home for the weekend.
I've been really lucky with who I've been working with since starting my apprenticeship. People have really good knowledge of the trade and the job; always helped me out. I’d always feel comfortable asking questions, even if they sound a bit silly in your own head, and never been laughed at. Never, you know, no one's ever made any comments. So everyone's always been dead helpful. I think I’ve had the best apprenticeship I could up to this date.
I'm just focused on getting qualified and getting my testing done. Doing my AM2 in a couple of years and become an approved electrician first and then at the minute I can't really see myself being someone who's more office based because I do quite enjoy being on site and I don't really think an office job suits me at the minute but that could always change further down the line. But at the minute I'm just focused on being an electrician.
So I'm Daniel. I'm 19. Lads are really nice. Not met anyone who’s been a problem or anything. Everybody who works: all the Project Managers and everyone – they’re nice. You get on with them. The work’s good. It’s nice and challenging. You've got to be practical. With DL you get to travel a bit don’t you – I get to see different parts of the country that you never thought you would see. Then get all your qualifications paid for, all your lessons and stuff.
