How a key change paid off for SJIB Apprentice of the Year Scott

After studying music at college, Scott Ahern decided to switch careers and become an electrician, with his performance on the tools seeing him crowned 2024 SJIB Apprentice of the Year. We caught up with him to find out more about his journey to the top – and what he’s planning for his next act.

Congratulations on your award Scott – how did you feel when your name was announced?

It felt great – a total surprise. I didn’t expect to win and was just happy to be in the final three. During the awards ceremony, we were told that we’d all done extremely well to even get to the final, so winning was honestly the cherry on top. Obviously it’s something to show for what I’ve been working towards, so I was extremely proud.

Who was with you on the day?

My mum, my dad and girlfriend were there, plus a couple of managers from my employer, DRB, which was nice. My dad was so proud – I think he spoke to practically everyone at the event and within 10 minutes of getting home he was texting all his friends too. He kept sending me screenshots of everyone replying saying congratulations!

So have you got where you are now? What’s been your journey so far?

I stayed at school until I was 18 and then spent two years at Riverside Music College at Busby in Glasgow, learning how to get better at playing guitar, singing and performing. The end of term exam was putting on a gig, so it was an amazing experience. After that, I worked lots of different jobs, helping out family and friends doing things like carpet fitting and a bit of joinery. Growing up, I was always told that being an electrician was an excellent trade with good pay and plenty of work, so eventually I just decided, ‘I’m going to become a spark’. I thought it might be tricky due to my age but I got really lucky and was able to start my apprenticeship relatively late on – I didn’t actually realise it was an option for people who are a bit older.

So have you always been curious about how things work?

Majorly! I’m always wondering, ‘What’s that? Why does it do that?’ I think I bugged my parents throughout childhood and was the same when I was an apprentice; I had tradesmen telling me I needed to take two steps back when they were working because I was always hanging over their shoulders asking questions. But I think it’s good to be curious.

And how did you find the training?

To be honest, I didn’t have the ideal start as I wasn’t doing a lot of electrical work with my original employer, but after starting second year I moved to DRB and just excelled from there – it was exactly what I needed to get hands-on and show them what I could do. My whole attitude was, ‘I’m going to blow these peoples’ minds.’

What was the toughest part of your training? Any challenges in particular?

I really enjoyed college, although it was obviously very challenging, particularly the maths side. It’s also a big jump from first to second year in terms of the principals and physics involved – things like Pythagoras and wave forms were tough. I’d never done physics at school so it was all new to me, but again I was obsessed with trying to understand everything and prove myself so it all worked out. I didn’t think physics had anything to do with being an electrician but when you get down into the detail it’s actually a massive part of everything.

You’re 27 now and were older than most apprentices – do you think that helped you?

I think I WAS a bit more mature and prepared for things. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen a lot of people that started work at the age of 16 and are now doing amazing things, but having a bit of experience and a few life skills certainly was a bonus. Helping other people out and working in other areas gave me a different perspective on things and I could see the other person’s side of a job – I think it really gave me an advantage when I was speaking to older tradesmen too.

What’s the support been like from the SJIB and SECTT?

They’ve helped massively, particularly when I had to move employer. They really opened my eyes to how protected apprentices are and how much support there is to make sure you’re OK. Gordon Penman was my SECTT Training Officer and was brilliant, putting me in touch with all the right people. During lockdown, he and I would chat over the phone all the time – he’s been a massive part of my journey.

What kind of work are you doing now?

DRB primarily works with petrol stations and we recently got bought over by TSG, who specialise in EV chargers. A lot of my work has involved installing EV chargers at petrol stations which obviously involves a lot of intricate detail, and we’ve recently been doing charge points on M&S car parks and Amazon warehouses, which can last weeks. In terms of travel I’ve been absolutely everywhere, from Inverness to Kent. I can be working on anything from wee maintenance jobs to massive projects so can be away for up to seven weeks at a time.

And is there anything in particular that you’re most proud of so far?

I get called sad for how much I love my job because I really do enjoy everything, but I’m probably most proud of the first job that I ran myself, which was a Shell garage at Thirsk. It was a full knockdown and rebuild so we were rewiring all the forecourt and shop and working long hours into the night. It was hard but we got it done on time and it all looked amazing. That’s my favourite part – turning everything on and just standing back and seeing it all working.

Looking ahead, what does the future hold for you?

I’ve got my CompEx qualification and site supervisor training under my belt, so now I’m working towards becoming an Approved Electrician. In the grand scheme of things I’d love to have my own company and have a squad of people doing big contracts, because I’ve worked on huge maintenance and stock contracts since the start of training. I’d like to think that with a few guys behind me I could do my own thing in the industry – that’s my main goal. But I know there’s loads of stuff I could do. I tried to do my HNC in engineering when I was in my third year but because I was down in England a lot it would have been next to impossible. So that’s maybe something I could look at in the future too. My main goal at the moment is getting my Approved. After that, who knows?

So are you more interested in the business side of things or are you happiest on the tools?

Tools definitely! I’ve seen a bit of the backroom side and how our managers deal with clients, which is really interesting and something I’m sure I could learn more about, but for now I really like to be at the heart of the nitty-gritty.

Away from work, what do you enjoy doing? Any hobbies?

It’s hard to switch off sometimes, but I really enjoy my music. I dabble in the keyboard but singing and the guitar are my two main things. I also like doing metalwork with knives and swords and stuff – it’s a bit of an expensive hobby though.

And finally… what would your message be for anyone who wants to be an electrician but thinks they might have missed the boat?

My main message would be that it’s NEVER too late. I’ve seen people in their late 20s just starting out and absolutely loving it. Just jump in with both feet, put in as much effort as you can and if you’re genuinely engaged you’ll really go places.