Category Archives: Skills and recruitment

National Apprenticeship Week 2022 is the 15th annual week-long celebration of apprenticeships. The week brings together businesses and apprentices across the country to shine a light on the positive impact that apprenticeships make to individuals, businesses and the wider economy. 

Similar to 2021, the theme for National Apprenticeship Week 2022 will be ‘build the future’; reflecting on how apprenticeships can help individuals to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career, and businesses to develop a talented workforce that is equipped with future-ready skills. 

Building the future at JCA  

At JCA, we are passionate about what we do. We support apprenticeships as they assist our talent strategy and allow us to recruit, retain and develop those who want to progress their careers and be equipped with skills for life. We ensure that both the educational and work activities are planned well in advance for our apprentices, so that joining us is a great experience.    

Introducing apprentices to all areas of the business and ensuring that all expectations are achieved are vital in the first few months to continue with the development of our new employees. It is a momentous journey and a great opportunity so we heavily invest our time and resources to create the best possible outcomes for our apprentices. 

Meet our apprentice 

To celebrate this year’s National Apprenticeships Week, we caught up with Lewis, our newest apprentice, to find out why he decided to start an apprenticeship and how he’s been enjoying it so far. Lewis works as an engineering apprentice at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, our resident maintenance site. 

Hi Lewis, thanks for celebrating the National Apprenticeships Week with us. What made you want to start an apprenticeship in the first place?   

I wanted to start an apprenticeship because I liked the thought of working while learning something new. I felt that this course was best for me, I like the idea of always doing something and not just sitting at a desk. 

 And why did you decide to choose JCA? 

I chose JCA because I knew a couple of people who had been working at JCA for a while. They both told me good things about the company so I thought it would be a great opportunity for me. 

How did you enjoy the experience at the hospital before starting your college course? 

I had a very good experience, everyone treated me well and I fitted in quite quickly. I was taught things very quickly and within the first month I got to understand how things worked around the hospital. 

Explain a little about your day-to-day tasks at the hospital. 

At the beginning of my course, it was mostly shadowing other engineers, for example plumbers, electricians and the fabric team. As I’m more into my apprenticeship, I do a lot of the jobs myself as I’ve learnt a lot and I’m able to carry them out with minimal assistance. 

Which tasks/areas of work are your favourite? 

My favourite areas of work would be the fabric maintenance because it’s very hands on and everyday there’s always something new to do in the hospital. 

How is the college going? 

College is good, I attend every Monday. I’m learning new things, the teachers are good and I’ve made a lot of new friends among other students. It’s a good positive environment and I feel like I’m progressing well. 

JCA apprenticeship programme at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital 

To find out a bit more about the JCA apprenticeship programme, we caught up with Brian Eaton, our Engineering Manager in charge of the programme at the Hospital. 

”Chelsea and Westminster Hospital offers a diverse amount of learning opportunities for an engineer. We have 24 lifts and four escalators, three extremely large steam boilers, numerous pumps and pressurisation units, around 60 AHUs, both HV and LV networks, UPS and IPS electrical systems and a vast water supply with equally vast drainage system. All this makes the hospital a good place to learn and also why we do not try to specialise with our engineering training but to offer a building services approach so that all the areas mentioned above are covered. Our newest apprentice Lewis is having to learn the basics of plumbing, electrical, locksmithing, carpentry and tiling. He is progressing very well and will be a huge asset to our team.” 

If you are interested in becoming an engineering apprentice or would like more information on the apprenticeships scheme, get in touch with us – careers@jca.co.uk  

For current vacancies and opportunities, including apprenticeships, please visit our Careers page.  

For more information about JCA and our services, head over to Our services section.  

To find out more about apprenticeships, visit the government’s website – Apprenticeships. 

International Women in Engineering Day 2021, taking place on Wednesday 23rd June, is an international awareness day to support, inspire, celebrate and raise the profile of women in engineering. It is an opportunity to draw attention to the careers in engineering for young people and to celebrate the achievements of women engineers.

The theme for 2021 is Engineering Heroes! This year we are celebrating the amazing work that women engineers around the world are doing, and not just to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic but also to support lives and livelihoods every day. 

Engineering heroes at JCA

To celebrate the International Women in Engineering Day, we asked a few of our female colleagues working across the business in different roles about their experiences in the engineering/maintenance industry. 

Pippa Dimsdale, Contracts Manager:

“As a woman rising through the ranks in a “male dominated industry”, I have been pleasantly surprised by how accepting my male peers have been and how they have aided me to achieve success. I don’t feel like being a woman has hindered me in anyway, if anything, it encouraged me to work harder and show the industry that woman can offer so much with the right training and knowledge.

I would encourage any young females considering a role in the industry to take the jump as the rewards of working in a fast-paced, ever developing industry far outweigh any challenges!”

Tina McGennity, H&S Manager:

“I work on a number of construction and maintenance sites. Construction has always been considered ‘a male dominated’ environment but working at JCA, who employ two female Health & Safety managers, I am treated with respect and equality by everyone within the company, our contractors and clients.

In 2018 I won the SHP Biggest Impact Award for Health and Safety. This proves that women can excel in the industry and you can achieve your goals through hard work, dedication and commitment.”

Kirsty Eyles, Stock Controller and Senior Water Supervisor:

“Being the only female JCA engineer at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital presents a great challenge and opportunity to break into a field underrepresented by women. Engineering is fun, challenging, innovative and fast-moving. It is about seeing a problem and being creative about solving it, then working together as a team to get the job done. It is about trying it out, and then pushing your idea that bit further…

I would encourage women who dare to take up a challenge and win, to risk entering a men dominated career field. In my experience, women often think they cannot do certain technical tasks when faced with something they have never done before, while men assume they can. When I look around me, I see women engineers in many fields: mechanical, electrical, structural, materials, software… Anything is possible.”

Isabel Mcquillan, Quantity Surveyor:

“For the early years of my commercial career there were very few women, but I believe this encouraged me to work harder, to be stronger and to achieve great things. In my position I am client facing, and contract administering with the supply chain and I do not feel any prejudice from any party for being female especially during my time with JCA. I truly feel appreciated for my abilities as a Quantity Surveyor and respected as an equal with all my teams. I would encourage more women to enter the construction sector because it can be quite rewarding and is a very friendly environment. The stigma of a ‘male dominated’ industry is fast changing. I like being part of that evolution.” 

Jess Smith, Marketing and Bids Coordinator:

“Being a woman today is more powerful than ever, and having so many inspiring women around makes it all the easier to settle into environments that are typically seen as “male dominant”. We currently have so many talented and skilled women working at JCA, from administrators, the legal team, engineers, managers, and more! I feel so inspired working amongst a fantastic group of people, and speak for many others at JCA when I say that being a woman does not hinder our work or the way we work. We are valued and respected in the same way anyone else is and I am grateful to be part of this team. Engineering may be seen as a “masculine environment”, but this is just a perception and there are so many great opportunities for us!”  

To find out more about International Women in Engineering Day 2021, visit their website: http://www.inwed.org.uk/  

To get involved on Twitter, search hashtags #INWED21 and #EngineeringHeroes 

Want to know more about what it’s like to work for JCA? Read our employees’ testimonials here and find out more about what JCA stands for here.

International Women in Engineering Day is organised by the Women’s Engineering Society, an English charity, founded in 1919. WES has worked tirelessly for over a hundred years to ensure equality for women in engineering. Today WES’ mission is to support women in engineering to fulfil their potential and support the engineering industry to be inclusive. 

1. Women: Support women to achieve their potential as engineers, applied scientists and leaders and to reward excellence. 
2. Education: Encourage and promote the education, study and application of engineering. 
3. Sustainability: Work with organisations and influencers to promote gender diversity and equality in the workplace and sustain the historic legacy and future effectiveness of the Women’s Engineering Society. 

To find out more about WES and the work they do, head over to their website. 

This year’s theme for the National Apprenticeship Week, taking place 8-14th February, is ‘Build the Future’. The campaign celebrates the diversity of opportunity and value that apprenticeships bring and how they can help individuals and employers build their future.

Train, retain and achieve

Becoming an apprentice allows young people to increase their confidence, skills, knowledge and start them off to some incredible careers, but from a business perspective, there are just as many benefits to employing an apprentice.

The growing skills gap in the engineering industry is a worry. In the February 2020 issue of the Facilities Management Journal, JCA discussed how we found, trained and motivated our staff to ensure continuation of services in the years to come. Offering an apprenticeship helps fill the skills gaps, upskill and revitalise the workforce to ensure the business is future proof and future ready.

Build the future

At JCA we are passionate about what we do and the diversity of our people. We support apprenticeships as they assist our talent strategy and allow us to recruit, retain and develop those who want to progress their careers and be equipped with skills for life. We ensure that both the educational and work activities are planned well in advance for our apprentices, so that joining us is a great experience.   

Introducing apprentices to all areas of the business and ensuring that all expectations are achieved are vital in the first few months to continue with the development of our new employees. It is a momentous journey and a great opportunity so we heavily invest our time and resources to create the best possible outcomes for our apprentices. 

Meet our apprentice

To celebrate this year’s National Apprenticeships Week, we caught up with Sebastian Jordan, our Building Services Apprentice to find out why he decided to start an apprenticeship and how he’s been enjoying it so far.  

Seb works as an engineering apprentice at a resident maintenance site, a large clinical laboratory in Cambridgeshire. 

What made you want to start an apprenticeship in the first place? 

I wanted to gain experience not only in a classroom setting, but also through training at work and working on tasks in real life. This helps because through the work itself, rather than in lectures, I wanted to get a wider understanding of maintenance engineering and first-hand. 

And why did you decide to choose JCA?  

I chose JCA because I was given the opportunity to speak with two JCA employees at a college apprenticeship fair. This helped me to get an insight into what engineering maintenance was about. I was really interested after talking to them and was encouraged to apply for the job. I decided the position was right for me after studying JCA more, as I was interested in what JCA does and the kind of services they provide.  

What was JCA’s communication like prior to you starting your apprenticeship? 

Prior to starting the apprenticeship, I had strong communication with the HR team and my line manager, I was kept updated and was warmly welcomed. JCA ensured that I felt prepared and that I knew what I would have to do to start working. 

This year is unlike any others. What does the structure of your college learning look like at the moment?  

Our learning is delivered online by our teachers due to the current pandemic. They will talk to us through units and present PowerPoints with the information necessary for assignments to be completed. Each assignment has questions of knowledge that need to be answered before signed off. This ensures that you have a good understanding of a unit before you move on to the next one. When the college starts back up, we will have the ability to complete our practical units using different machines, such as mills, lathes, grinders, welders. 

How did you enjoy the experience on-site before starting the college course? 

Before starting college, being on-site helped me to get a head start and learn procedures and how things work. This was aided by building good relationships with my peers that encouraged me to work well with them and develop a lot of practical skills. As I had the mindset to learn more, it also made sure I was well prepared and organised to start college. 

If you are interested in becoming an engineering apprentice or would like more information on the apprenticeships scheme, get in touch with us – careers@jca.co.uk 

For current vacancies and opportunities, including apprenticeships, please visit our Careers page. 

For more information about JCA and our services, head over to Our services section. 

To find out more about apprenticeships, visit the government’s website – Apprenticeships.