People Focus – Meet Harvey Knowles our Technical Engineer Apprentice

“I’ve gone from zero to professional!” 

I heard about ACS directly from the horse’s mouth when they did a presentation at my college – The University Technical College (UTC) in Leeds of whom ACS is a sponsor.

I’d always known I wanted to work in engineering although I was open to what avenue that would take. The presentation inspired me to apply for their apprenticeship scheme and a month after applying I was accepted.

I really can’t emphasise enough how valuable it’s been, being in a professional environment and learning from people directly. I’ve gone from zero to professional! For example, you can study a diagram and learn all of the various parts of a product, but only in working in the technical department could I really appreciate the challenges around producing that product and what that entails. My knowledge has grown exponentially and that’s because I’ve been able to experience all of the different departments in the business.

The biggest learning curve has been going from a college boy with set rules and timeframes to being part of a company and learning how to manage myself. Thankfully, the people at ACS are really nice – so much so that in my enthusiasm to do everything right and work hard and prove myself, I was gently reminded that I am allowed to take breaks!

I value a strong work ethic and working in a professional environment was new to me so the first three months were really helpful in helping me to understand the logistics, expectations and ‘norms’ of working in the construction business. That’s one of the greatest aspects of the apprenticeship scheme – it gives you a real chance to experience the working world without having any previous experience.

So far, I’ve been involved with three main projects – one is now under construction, the second was an internal job which involved re-cladding the bike sheds on site which was a great opportunity for me to lead, and work with the different departments. Currently I’m incorporating a new checking system, detailing products and making sure the system is future-proofed.

I’m really grateful to ACS for giving me this opportunity – I knew the University route wasn’t for me and that learning from people directly in the industry was the way I wanted to go. I’m looking forward to learning even more over the next year.