Transcendit have hired a new apprentice! We've been having a chat with Ewan Hawkes about working at Transcendit, and why he decided to start an apprenticeship.
Ewan says he didn't know what he wanted to do after his GCSEs, 'I wasn't sure about which path to take. I ended up staying on for sixth form, because I didn't want to commit to anything that early on. By the time I finished sixth form I was really interested in IT; in class we'd made little games and stuff.'
'I was thinking about coding but I didn't fancy designing, or just typing at a computer on my own every day. I wanted to learn how to fix things, solve computer issues that people had. That was my main drive, really. As there wasn't really anything else standing out for me, I decided to go with IT.'
Although Ewan wanted to learn more, he was keen to get practical experience in IT, 'I really wanted to work in the industry. I was just sick of sitting in a classroom. I'd been applying for apprenticeships for months, before I did my A-Levels. In the end, I got talking with a recruitment agency, and they recommended a few places and helped me fill in an application with a college, and then an application for Transcendit.'
'I had one interview with Dave Scott and Tom Tinsley, where we just had a chat about what aspects of IT I was interested in, and then a second interview where I had to take customer phone calls and solve their IT problems. They weren't real customers obviously, but it was still really nerve-wracking. I was so pleased when they took me on.'
Ewan has been working at Transcendit for two weeks, and is getting to grips with our systems, 'I'm learning how to raise tickets for issues. I've been scanning customer systems for malware, and if an infection has been found then I've been queuing it up for people in the office to sort.'
'Last week I had a go at removing the viruses from the computer myself, and then I rang the customer up afterwards to tell them it was all sorted. I think there's going to be more of that next week, where I'm actually talking to customers. I'm looking forward to it, I just want to get into it now. Then in a few weeks I'll be able to solve some customer problems myself - from real customers this time!'
Ewan is sure he's made the right decision opting for an apprenticeship, 'An apprenticeship gets you hands-on experience; you're actually working in the industry you're interested in. You've also got the college side of it, so you're getting qualifications out of it as well. It's a great way into a career in IT support.'
'Even though this is only my second week, I feel like I've settled in. I'm really enjoying working here.'
Ewan has now passed his first Microsoft exam, which is a testemant to the hard work he's put in and the support he's received from our team. We're very proud of the progress he has made, and the skills he continues to develop.
