We caught up with Matt, one of our newest apprentices, to learn more about him and his journey and experiences at Wessex to date.
What is your current role at Wessex and what attracted you to the company and the fire & security industry in the first place?
I’m currently working in the Technical Department. I initially wanted to join Wessex because it was an opportunity to learn new skills and work for a company that has a great reputation with their customer service.
What is a typical day like in your current role as technical support?
A typical day for me involves handling the technical phone line. The calls that come in are generally customers who are experiencing faults or issues on their alarm systems and require assistance resolving. Alongside this, I go through the alarm reports which contain all alarm activations from our customers which have monitored systems and I then contact them to try and mitigate future false alarms where possible.
What do you like most and least about your current role as technical support?
A highlight of the role for me is helping our customers day to day as they are grateful for assistance in resolving issues with their alarm or answering any questions they have. We often meet customers when they’re already frustrated because something isn’t working for them. It can be difficult to turn that energy around, but I’ve found that those moments are the most rewarding.
Having been involved with the fire & security systems what is your favourite discipline or area and why?
In my role in the office, I deal with security systems more than the fire side of things. Therefore I would have to say the security discipline is more favourable for me.
What are you looking forward to most in your new role as a field engineer apprentice?
I think the opportunity to be installing the variety of systems we offer, and getting installation experience is what I’m looking forward to most.
Where will you conduct your college activities?
Over recent years Wessex have started sending apprentices to Skills for Security in Watford, so I will be attending training there in week blocks throughout the year.
What are you hoping to get out of the apprenticeship and looking forward to most?
I’m hoping to become a valuable engineer to Wessex, and be trusted to work on various projects which the company secure throughout years to come.
Where would you like to see your career path go once you finish your training?
I want to continue out in the field once I finish my apprenticeship, installing and working on alarms for Wessex.
When you are not at work what do you like to do?
Aside from work, I enjoy staying physically fit. I train in the gym and go out for runs most days. I’m also a big football fan, so whenever Liverpool or England are playing, I’ll be watching them at home or the pub.
If you’re feeling inspired by Matt’s journey, find out more about apprenticeships at Wessex.
