Joshua, Power Networks Technician

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What I do

I work on the local electricity network that supplies power to homes and businesses.

I work mainly on the cables held up by wooden poles, rather than the huge metal pylons you might see in the countryside.

I help install new connections, upgrade parts and fix faults.

Sometimes that means working high above the ground, and sometimes it’s connecting a cable to the side of someone’s house – it’s all part of keeping the electricity supply working safely.

Power Networks Technician Joshua, wearing a harness, standing atop a wooden pole, wearing heavy boots, a hi-vis jacket, helmet, gloves and safety goggles, fixing electrical equipment.

How I became a technician

For my GCSEs, I chose French, design and technology and sports science. Design and technology included some work with electricity, but I had no idea I'd end up working with it. After that, I spent two years studying BTECs in ICT and sports science.

I knew I didn't want to go to university. The social side of it didn't really appeal to me. An apprenticeship sounded more like what I wanted, although I had no idea which one.

How I became a technician

When I finished college, I got a job at my local supermarket and worked as many hours as I could and started saving money while looking for an apprenticeship.

Then, one day, my dad and I noticed a UK Power Networks van. We wondered what the company actually did, so we looked it up. The work sounded really interesting, and I decided to apply. I was 18 at the time.

How I became a technician

The application process took about ten months and involved five or six interviews.

It was competitive, and I think I'd have applied again if I hadn't got in the first time.

Eventually, I got a place when I was 19, after almost a year working at the supermarket.

How I became a technician

I'm doing a Level 3 overhead lines apprenticeship. I get to learn a lot as I move between teams and learn different parts of the job.

One day, I might be helping to connect a house to the electricity supply, and the next I could be out fixing a fault. It’s great to try out so many different things.

From something I never would have thought to look for, this career is working out well.

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A typical day in my working life

I usually start at 7:30am. Once we arrive at the job we'll be working at, we carry out a risk assessment to work out what could be dangerous and how to do the work safely.

A lot of the work happens above the ground. We usually go up in a raised platform on a vehicle, but if it can't get close enough, we climb the wooden poles using spikes, special boots and a safety harness.

A typical day in my working life

Because I'm an apprentice, I join different teams. If we're working a planned job, we might need to fit a small cable from a wooden pole to a house, bringing electricity to the building.

If we're working a fault job, we could be sent somewhere at short notice to find and fix a problem. We also replace old equipment, such as the parts that hold cables in place on poles.

A typical day in my working life

We wear protective equipment including hard hats, glasses, gloves and safety boots.

The low-voltage lines we work on have voltages up to 1,000 volts, but the higher-voltage lines can be at 11,000 or 33,000 volts. These must be completely switched off and checked before we work on them.

A typical day in my working life

Some parts have been exposed to the weather for decades, so before we climb a wooden pole, we have to check that it's safe. One of the ways we do this is with a mini-sledge hammer – we hit the pole at different points and listen for a solid, almost metallic sound. This tells us the wood is in good condition. If it sounds hollow, that could mean it's rotten or has been damaged, so it might not be safe to climb.

A typical day in my working life

I can visit four jobs in a day, or spend the whole day in one place, it depends on what's needed.

There's a lot of driving, and I usually finish at 3:30pm, although sometimes we work overtime if the job needs it or if it's far away.

There's also the chance to work weekends at a higher pay rate, which is great if you're saving up for something!

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Power Networks Technician Joshua, in a crane with a colleague, lifted to the top of a wooden pole, wearing a hi-vis jacket, helmet, gloves and safety goggles, fixing electrical equipment.

What I love about my job

I love being out and about rather than sitting in an office. I knew from quite a young age that I wanted to be outside, and now my workplace keeps changing.

One day I could be in Guildford and the next in Littlehampton. I don’t think I’ve ever gone back to the same pole yet.

I also like that I get to see so many different areas of the job while I’m doing the apprenticeship.

The skills I use most

Communication is probably the biggest skill. When you’re working with electricity or up a pole, you need to trust the people around you and be clear with each other.

Attention to detail matters as well. When we connect a house, we use test lamps to check that the wires are connected correctly before and after the work. If those checks aren’t right, we don’t turn the electricity on for the customer.

As an apprentice, I also need to take feedback and have the confidence to speak up. Sometimes that’s just saying, ‘Can I get help?’ rather than waiting to be asked.

I love being out and about rather than sitting in an office.

Put yourself out there and look at jobs you wouldn't expect to be interested in. You might be surprised by what you find.

A little more about my everyday role

The best bits about working in a team

I'm usually the third person in a team, along with two qualified linespeople, but I've worked with lots of different people during my apprenticeship. I've got to know a lot of the people in my local area already.

Some have years and years of experience and know everything there is to know about the job. Others finished their apprenticeship just a couple of years ago.

If I ever wonder whether I should already know something, I ask them, and they'll tell me they felt the same way. That's reassuring, and that's what it's all about – learning the job and getting to know people at the same time.

My favourite piece of equipment

My favourite tool is probably the crimp gun. We use it when joining cables. It squeezes a metal sleeve, which we call a barrel, tightly around the cable so the connection can't pull apart.

It's a tool we use quite a lot, and it's very much part of a linesperson's job. I find it quite satisfying to use!

What I like to do in my spare time

I love football, but these days I watch more than I play. I stopped playing at 18 and I've been a season-ticket holder at Brighton & Hove Albion for about five years. I really enjoy going to matches.

I also play a bit of golf from time to time.

My school days

Sport was probably the biggest part of my life at school. I played football and loads of other sports, both at school and outside it. I reckon about 70% of my free time was spent doing some kind of sport!

I always liked being active and getting outdoors. Even when I was in high school, I knew I didn't want to spend my working life sitting in an office.

The most exciting thing I’ve achieved so far in my job

For me, it isn't one particular job. It's how much I've grown since joining the company. I've put myself forward for extra opportunities, including a Safety Network Leader role, which involves giving safety briefings.

I wouldn't have described myself as a big public speaker, so I wasn't sure how I'd find that. But speaking to people wasn't as bad as I expected. It actually came quite naturally. I think the apprenticeship has really helped me come out of myself.

A surprising fact about my job

One thing people might not realise is how important knots are in my job. When we're working on high-voltage power lines, there can be big, heavy bits of metal that need lifting into place. We use ropes to pull them up, so knowing how to tie knots properly is really important.

When I first joined, learning all the different knots was one of the biggest things I had to get to grips with.

The next steps in my career journey

When I finish my apprenticeship and become qualified, I’ll work in a pair of linespeople, rather than being the extra apprentice in a team.

It'll be good to be in a pair and able to work on live lines and go up the poles alone, I look forward to that.

The advice I’d give to someone younger

Put yourself out there and look at jobs you wouldn't expect to be interested in. I thought I needed to find a particular interest before I could start looking, and I wish I'd started earlier.

Never in a million years would this job have been in my top 100 guesses about what I'd end up doing but I'm so glad I looked around and found it. You might be surprised by what you find, so have a look at everything.