Skills for Life in Action
As part of National Apprenticeship Week 2026, EPS is proud to highlight the important role apprentices play in our consultancy team.
To celebrate Apprentice Wednesday, we’re sharing the journey of Alfie, our CAD Technician Apprentice, who has recently joined the engineering design team, to hear first-hand about his experience so far, what he’s learning day-to-day, and how his apprenticeship is shaping his future in electrical engineering
Meet Alfie
Alfie joined EPS as a CAD Technician Apprentice, starting his career in electrical engineering through a work-based learning route that combines structured training with hands-on experience.
Explaining his role, Alfie says:
“It’s mostly getting mark-ups from engineers and doing different layouts or drawings to those mark-ups. Sometimes we don’t get a mark-up, and we’re expected to create the design or drawing from the information provided. Other times it’s editing spreadsheets, like cable counts. It really depends on the day or what’s needed.”
Alongside his role at EPS, Alfie is currently studying towards his HNC in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. He has already completed several modules, achieving Distinction grades, and is continuing to build the theoretical knowledge that underpins his practical work.
He chose an apprenticeship as an alternative to a more traditional academic pathway:
“I didn’t think university was for me. I want to get a degree, but I didn’t want to be sat in a classroom all the time. A lot of people said you learn more when you’re on the job, and I think that’s true.”
What attracted Alfie to EPS in particular was the opportunity to grow and progress:
“In my interview, it was reiterated that although I’m a designer now, I can move on and do more things.”
Learning Through Live Projects
From an early stage, Alfie has been involved in real engineering consultancy work, supporting live projects as they move through the design stage:
“Every day is different. Some days I’m jumping from project to project, getting through a lot of work. Other days you don’t have all the information, so you’re speaking to engineers, setting up meetings, or contacting clients to get the details you need.”
Much of Alfie’s work involves producing drawings that support electrical design delivery, including earthing layouts and cable routing.
“I’ve been working on earthing for sites, receiving drawings, scaling them, and putting all the earthing in to specification. I’ve also done cable routing, showing how cables run between transformers and substations, whether they’re buried or above ground.”
This has included supporting earthing layouts in line with project specifications, connecting earth tapes and earth bars, and producing cable routing drawings that clearly show how services are installed across site.
Since joining the engineering design team, Alfie has enjoyed gaining early exposure to design-led project work and collaborating more closely with engineers across the business.
Seeing his work contribute directly to client projects has been a defining part of Alfie’s experience:
“Knowing that the drawings and work you produce are used on real projects is mental. That’s what blows my mind. It’s crazy to think that what you’re doing actually ends up being built.”
Developing Skills for Life
Alongside technical capability, Alfie’s apprenticeship is helping him build the attention to detail and understanding needed in an engineering consultancy environment:
“In terms of CAD, I’ve mastered that. I had basic experience before, but everything I do now I’ve learned here. I’ve also gained electrical knowledge. Even if you’re not doing engineering calculations, you need to understand what you’re putting on a drawing.”
Attention to detail has become particularly important:
“Even a small number being wrong can have a huge effect. An engineer might understand what was meant, but a client might not, so you’ve got to make sure everything is correct.”
Support, Mentoring and Learning at EPS
A key part of Alfie’s experience has been working closely with experienced engineers and learning from the wider team:
“Someone like Keith (Lead Electrical Engineer at EPS) has worked on all sorts. When we were in graduate training and he was telling us about different things he’s worked on, it was crazy.
His experience spans a wide range of projects, and when he goes through things, he’s able to give examples of where approaches have been used elsewhere, even if we don’t use them on every job here. That’s really helpful because it doesn’t limit you. It builds you up and gives you knowledge for the future.”
Seeing how experienced engineers approach problems has helped Alfie develop quickly:
“When they explain things and you then do it yourself, it sticks. That’s how I learn best, and they’ve been a huge part of that.”
This culture of knowledge-sharing and mentoring plays a key role in developing early-career engineers at EPS.
Being encouraged to ask questions and take on new challenges has helped build his confidence and understanding of how a professional engineering consultancy operates.
“If you don’t ask questions, you’re not going to learn. Everyone starts somewhere. It’s better to ask than do something wrong and waste time.”
Future Outlook
As Alfie continues his apprenticeship, he is focused on deepening his electrical engineering knowledge and taking on more engineering responsibility:
“I want to develop my electrical knowledge and start doing more engineering work. I feel like I’ve learned as much as I can on the designer side, and engineering is what really interests me.”
Alfie has a clear idea of the type of engineering work he hopes to pursue:
“I’m particularly interested in primary engineering, things like high-voltage switchgear. That’s the work I enjoy the most.”
Through continued learning and exposure to a wide range of projects, EPS provides a strong platform for apprentices to progress and build long-term careers in engineering.
A Strong Foundation
Reflecting on his experience so far, Alfie sees his apprenticeship as a strong foundation for his future career:
“It’s been really interesting and eye-opening. I’ve learned a lot, even if I don’t always realise it until I look back at where I started. I’ve really enjoyed it so far, and I like getting involved in as much as possible.”
Alfie’s journey highlights the value of apprenticeships at EPS, supporting the development of technical capability, professional confidence, and Skills for Life, while contributing meaningfully to live engineering projects.
As part of National Apprenticeship Week, Alfie’s story highlights the value of apprenticeships in developing future engineering talent and supporting long-term careers at EPS.
