Our Apprentice Engineer Josh McIvor on a year with Xburo

We caught up with our apprentice engineer  Josh McIvor & Director Thomas Brady more than 15 months after we took on Xburo’s first apprentice.

When Josh joined us last year he was straight out of school where we had recruited him.  A year on, Josh is now 18, at College, driving, and has far more tattoos. He is a well-loved member of the team, quietly determined to get the job done and is well on his way to a career in engineering with Xburo.

Here’s our Q&A to find out how he can help more pupils like him join our apprenticeship programmes:

Looking back over the back year, what has it been like at XBuro?

“This is my first job, so I can’t compare it to other companies, however what I can say is that coming into an engineering firm is so different from being at school, in a good way.

The pace of work at school is much slower and whilst the general pace in the office is often fast, as a trainee, I am lucky to be given time to think and the space to do it alongside colleagues. Looking back when I was at school, I would never have imagined the amount of time needed to solve problems when designing buildings, I just thought it happened magically! That for me has been one of the biggest learning curves.”

What attracted you to the apprenticeship programme?

A love of maths and problem solving sparked my interest at school and so when Ms Malone at my school (St Maurice’s High School) circulated an advert on the apprenticeship opportunity, I replied. I wasn’t sure what the programme would be like but a year on, I can see the direction and the opportunity for me to become an engineer.

Tell us about the programme?

I’m full time at Xburo and I attend North Kelvin College where I am undertaking the HNC in Building Services Engineering on a day release basis. The HNC is a two year programme and I am now in the second year. While the programme has been challenging, I’ve studied hard and got through it, with a little help from my colleagues. Looking forward, when I finish the HNC, I will go to the School of Computing, Engineering and Built Environment at Glasgow Caledonian University where I will enrol on the BEng (Hons) in Building Services Engineering course. This is a four year course and I will be 22 when I finish and by that time, I will have five years of working in engineering and the experience of sitting alongside engineers every day.

From school to the office, what’s that like?

Since it’s my first job in anything – not just engineering – it was strange at first having to adjust to the longer days but it’s an opportunity that I wanted. Going straight from school into work has allowed me to earn and learn at the same time. Hearing and picking up conversations in the office and having colleagues that will take the time to explain what they’re doing helps me to understand and get a better grasp of what the college lecturers are describing. I’ve been lucky to have Tom and the others to help and guide me in the transition from school to the office.

What hopes do you have for your career?

Now that I understand the process and career path, my ultimate aim is to gain recognition as a Chartered Engineer, after that who knows. I am aware that this is several years away, however in the short term its up to me to knuckle down, listen, learn and gain as much knowledge and experience as I can.

What would you say to someone who was thinking of the apprenticeship route?

Go for it. It is a great way to get your degree without incurring student debt.

Thomas Brady, Founder and Director of Xburo, said: 

As a product of an apprenticeship scheme (many years ago now), I am delighted that Xburo is in the fortunate position to offer school leavers the opportunity to do the same. As an advocate of this training route it is great to see an ever increasing number of M&E consultancies offering school leavers the opportunity to undertake design apprenticeships too.

We have approximately 50 or so M&E design consultancies operating in the Scottish Market. In addition to the full-time graduates, imagine the available talent pool in 5-10 years if a third (or more) of these firms were to take on an apprentice every year, or every other year.

Not only would there be a significant increase in skilled professionals entering the field, we would have a more robust workforce with a diversity of ideas and approaches that can drive innovation within the industry. In addition, the increase in part-time student numbers would be a welcome boost to the various colleges and universities across Scotland.

The question is, is it going to be left to a select number of practices to drive this or will others become involved?

Watch out for our next apprenticeship opportunity – we welcome applications for hardworking young people ready to leave school and be supported in the first stages of their career, applications CV and a cover note to info@xburo.co.uk