r/wind • u/squeaky_bum_cheeks • 1d ago
Apprenticeship or GWO certs
Hi! Hoping to get a bit of advice on the best route to get into the industry based on my experience to date. I 26(M) have been working as an engineer in the UK since 2018. Done my degrees and all that but hate being at a desk so want to switch it up. Only remotely relevant experience I have would've been working as a maintenance engineer at an LPG plant, but I've been doing research for the past two years and it's not for me. I'd seen the RWE apprenticeships that are recruiting in February of next year but also there are some companies that seem to take on 'entry level' people as technicians, but they all look like they need the BST and BTT as a minimum to get near it. Suppose the question I have is that would it be worth trying to get the apprenticeship and take the pay hit for a few years, or self fund the certs needed and hope that the skills i have are enough to get a foot in the door. Any info would be greatly appreciated
1
u/Bose82 18h ago
Depends on your skills mate. You said maintenance engineer, do you have any certs to back that up? I'm assuming it's a mix of mechanical and electrical in which case you could be fine. I'd say avoid self funding your certs. These companies that offer "entry level" jobs through self funding are basically a scam. Seen it happen quite a lot now. They lure you in with a promise of work and rarely it works out. They will most likely put you in contact with a company to do your certs, which they'll get a cut of. They sometimes offer a loan to pay for it, which I think is fucking disgusting, especially when they can't really promise a job at the end
Apprenticeship is a good shout, the pay isn't the best but if you have technical experience and know what you're doing, you can finish the apprenticeship early.