National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) 2024 is the 17th annual celebration of apprenticeships. The week brings together everyone passionate about apprenticeships to celebrate the value, benefits, and opportunities that they bring.

RPS collaborates with the top UK employers and organisations across a range of industries to nurture talent and provide individuals with the opportunity to grow and thrive in their chosen fields. The RPS Apprenticeship Programme is designed to offer a unique blend of practical experience and structured learning, setting the stage for a successful and fulfilling career.

As part of the RPS Apprenticeship Programme, countless individuals have joined RPS and developed their careers, with the aim of career progression, many of whom are now delivering global innovative projects, collaborating with industry experts, and creating salient change.

RPS regularly hosts events in England and Scotland to raise awareness of the RPS Apprenticeship Programme and offer individuals a chance to learn more about the career prospects and opportunities in a variety of industries including Geomatics, Modelling, Design, Planning, Engineering, and Occupational Health.

One of these individuals is Adian Jarrett (pictured above), who joined RPS two years ago as a Data Analyst Apprentice in the Wastewater Team. Before joining the team, Aidan was in retail, looking for a change of direction in his career.

Dean Hunter, Technical Manager, who leads Aidan, explains how Aidan joined:
“Aidan is one of the individuals who joined us through our Apprenticeship Recruitment days.  We had quite a few applicants, but for an apprenticeship, it has to be sort of a Goldilocks scenario. You want to get someone who's got some level of experience but not too much and has clear potential to grow.”

Dean explains what made Aidan stand out:
“Aidan impressed me. I can remember looking at his CV and he'd referenced some work that RPS had done in his cover letter. So, that stood out for me more than anything, He had done a bit of research and put some actual effort into it by finding information about our website and laying it out in an analytical way. It was quite professionally written, and he'd shown a genuine interest in what he was writing about.”

Aidan explains his experience upon first joining RPS:
“An office or consulting environment was something I’d never been part of or knew anything about. It was just different to anything else that I've been a part of. “

With some guidance and training from various people across his team and his manager, Dean, Aidan was able to quickly progress in his role and adapt to his new environment. “The team was very friendly and helped me a lot. It was a mix of hands-on training and various people showing me how to do certain things, how the software works, and just being there if there's any issues.”

Aidan explains how all these small steps helped him progress into a career at RPS:
“In the beginning, they used to give me little tasks to do, and that would help me build confidence. If you complete a task, no big, no matter how small it is, you just feel good for completing it. So, it became really rewarding doing those tasks.”

Dean elaborates on how Aidan has evolved through the RPS Apprenticeship Programme:
“When Aidan first joined, he lacked confidence in some places as anyone who is changing fields would.  There’s only so much I can do to help him. I can read his reports and help him rewrite them, but it is him, at the end of the day, who must do the work. It was a struggle, but he got there. Over time, it’s been amazing to see him gain confidence”.

Aidan himself is proud of the advances he’s made and how far he’s come in his career, comparing where he is from where he’s been. “I'm quite confident in all the work that I do. I now have people come to me asking me questions, which is something that I wouldn't have thought of before. I used to be the person going to people asking questions. So that's a nice feeling knowing that I can help others and show what I've learned.”

Aidan offers advice to anyone who’s been in his position:
“It’s important to not be intimidated by it. It is a big change sometimes, but I think learning whilst working is the best way because you can pick up all sorts of skills and then the learning process becomes more interesting because you get to be a part of it all rather than just observing. Here, you can go about things at your own pace and pick up things in your way. “

Dean adds some words of instruction as well:
“The way to shine through is to take some simple or basic work and own it.  Apply innovation and do something new with it. Show people that you really care about something, that that you've got a bit of a passion for it.”

Aidan concludes by expressing his passion for the work he does:
“It is a nice change of pace. Seeing the impact that they have in this field is very rewarding and being a part of it gives a good feeling. It is good work, and it does help the environment and local communities around as well. I am proud to be a part of that.”

Find out more about Apprenticeships in Services UK   l   KeyFacts Energy Industry Directory: RPS Energy