Name: Tom Radford
Employer: Poltair School / Cornwall Education Learning Trust
Job title: IT Technician
Course: Network Engineer Level 4 Apprenticeship
After working in Hospitality for over twenty years, Tom decided that it was time to do something different. Setting his sights on the IT industry, Tom contacted Truro and Penwith College to explore IT apprenticeships and was supported to apply for a Network Engineer Level 4 Apprenticeship position at Poltair School where he soon started his dream career.
Tom explains: “For me, it was a complete change of career. I was looking to go into something that didn’t involve working weekends and evenings.”
Tom highlights the College’s smaller class sizes as a particularly beneficial part of the Apprenticeship: “It’s just easier in that smaller group. You get more time to go through things. We had more of an opportunity to chat about the subject than you probably could with a group of thirty, because everybody’s got time to contribute before you move on.”
When asked about his future plans and career progression, Tom says: “The Apprenticeship was a way into a new industry, a new career. The idea is to keep moving upwards within the school and within the Trust [Cornwall Educational Learning Trust].
“Progression could include roles like Senior Technician, Assistant Network Manager, Network Manager, that sort of thing. Or I could move to work more with the Trust [CELT], for example in one of the primary schools.”
Reflecting on the Apprenticeship overall, Tom said: “The staff at the College were highly informed and well-placed to help me with my career choices. The skills I learnt during the course, I use every day.”
