Hot start for Blackpool apprentice who joined gas network company

Former St Mary’s Catholic Academy pupil Oli Tribe, 20, was part of the Cadent repair team sent to a fire in a garden in Skippool, which was in close proximity to gas meters.

He said: “The emergency services were there, two fire engines, relying on Cadent to isolate the gas supply, to make everything safe.

“It was a great thing to experience – and in my first week!”

Gas distribution network Cadent has just recruited its biggest intake of apprentices in a single year.

More than a third (32) of its latest 85-strong cohort have joined in the North West.

The company, which manages an underground network of more than 21,000 miles of gas pipes in the region, has long been an industry champion of apprenticeships – and keen to bust a myth that they are only for school leavers. It said a quarter of these 85 new recruits were aged 25 or over.

Oli was on furlough last year from his job at Currys PC World when he found the Cadent apprenticeship online.

He said: “I enjoyed that job, because I like working with customers, but I wanted something that was long-term and sustainable as well. I saw the Cadent scheme and realised this was a good industry to be in right now. Every day is different in this job and it involves being outdoors – which is definitely what I wanted in a job.”

Cadent revealed its all-time-high intake details during National Apprenticeship Week, a celebration of apprenticeships and what they offer, which is taking place across England.

Martin Rimmer, Chief People Officer, Cadent, said: “Our job is to keep energy flowing safely and reliably to our customers. To do so we recognise how important it is to attract the skilled engineers and commercial professionals of tomorrow.

“We are very excited that this year we have our largest-ever intake of apprentices.

“We don’t just see apprenticeships as a way to fill immediate vacancies – they are a crucial part of our strategy to develop and retain exceptional talent.”

As well as maintaining the underground pipe network, Cadent manages hundreds of above-ground pressure control stations and operates the region’s 24/7, year-round gas emergency service.

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