Case Study: Elise Walters
Position: Electrician
Key Attributes: resilient, patient, collaborative
Qualifications: Functional Skills, Apprenticeship
“I’m glad I decided to become an electrician. It’s a skill I can take with me for life, and there are so many jobs that I’ll never be out of work.”
At a glance
Elise installs and fixes electrical systems in buildings to keep them safe and working properly. She is resilient and gets up at 4:30am every morning to travel to building sites where she works in all weather conditions. Elise is patient when working through challenges on building sites. She is collaborative and works with other electricians to complete jobs together as a team.
A Different Route
When Elise was finishing school, she found it difficult to decide what career to follow. She thought about becoming a nurse because of her caring nature, but quickly realised that wasn’t for her. Her dad was an electrician, and she’d spent many days on jobs with him. Eventually, she decided to follow in his footsteps.
However, Elise’s route into electrical work wasn’t straightforward:
“I almost didn’t get into college. All the colleges in my area required a grade C minimum for GCSEs, so they were hesitant to take me on. Before I could even get into college, I had to do a Level 1 Functional Skills qualification in English and Maths.”
Elise had to be patient and work through the Functional Skills qualification. Her determination paid off, and she scraped through. Soon she was at MidKent College in Gillingham studying her Level 1 qualification in Electrical Installation, followed by Level 2 at other colleges.
Becoming an Apprentice
After completing her college courses, Elise secured an apprenticeship. She spent four days a week working on-site and one day a week at college, learning both the theory and practical sides of electrical work.
Elise loved the practical work, but being the only girl in her class sometimes felt isolating. When she went to work on building sites, she occasionally faced unhelpful comments from some of the men. One even asked her why she wasn’t doing hairdressing instead!
Staying Resilient
Despite these challenges, Elise remained resilient. She didn’t let negative comments stop her from pursuing the career she wanted.
“Luckily, I never took the comments too personally. You’ve got to take things like that with a pinch of salt.”
Another challenge was physical strength. Electrical work sometimes involves moving heavy equipment or working in difficult spaces. But Elise quickly learned that this didn’t have to be a barrier. Nine times out of ten, she works alongside another apprentice or electrician, and she’s found her colleagues are always willing to help.
“Strength can be a bit of a barrier, but there’s always ways around it.”
Working collaboratively with her colleagues means Elise can focus on her skills and knowledge rather than worrying about challenges that can be solved by working as a team.
Skills for Life
Once you qualify as an electrician, there are many different paths you can take. You can specialise in testing, maintenance, or work on big installation projects. You can even take your skills abroad!
For Elise, one of the most rewarding parts is being able to do electrical work for her family:
“I’ve found a lot of happiness doing my own electrics at home. I save myself (and my family) a lot of time and money. It’s very rewarding.”
In her spare time, Elise loves going to the gym and playing rugby, though work can be quite demanding. She hopes to start an electrical business with her partner one day. Her advice for anyone considering a career in the trades?
“I try to turn up each day and give it my best shot.”
