I’d like to introduce you to a good friend of ours, Dan Henson. This 20 year-old hot shot from Birmingham is currently in the middle of an apprenticeship at Electrolux Professional who are basically the Rolls-Royce of professional kitchens. Don’t believe me? Well just ask the many celeb chefs they cater for plus the mind-blowing Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi!

Thanks for speaking to us Dan. So, two years in...any regrets about your decision at this stage?

Not at all! I would definitely recommend an apprenticeship to anyone considering it as an option. There is so much choice in career paths once you’ve completed your qualifications as well. I wouldn’t change anything and I can guarantee you won’t regret it!

Great to hear! So if you had to describe your apprenticeship in three words, they would be?

Best Decision Ever.

EEF were also really helpful as they were able to help secure me this apprenticeship. Obviously they don’t do all the hard work, but they do open the doors that lead on to great opportunities such as my apprenticeship at Electrolux. They take away a lot of unnecessary stress which I really appreciated.

Well you can’t argue with that Dan! So what do you get up to at Electrolux?

Well I’m a Technical Product Support Engineer so my core role is providing technical support to engineers out in the field. There’s also getting out on the road if issues haven’t been resolved by one of our service partners and also carrying out training courses for our service partners to learn about our products, repairing them and installing, etc.

So does that mean you’ve been to loads of posh restaurants?

Well being involved in the commercial catering industry we come across so many different situations all the time. We deal with quite a few celebrity chefs, not to name drop, but for example last week I was at Glynn Purnell’s restaurant doing some work in his kitchen.

I was also recently doing an Electrolux promotion at the Williams F1 headquarters in Oxford. This meant doing some work there over the weekend, however, as a little treat I got to sit and watch the F1 Grand Prix there on a big screen with the Williams family!

 And I bet earning whilst you’re learning is alright too?

What is better than learning new interesting skills, and being paid for it? I’ve got so many friends who have gone to university to continue further education and the trouble is they’re not guaranteed a job or earning whilst they are there. In reality they just end up with a lot of debt. When they finish their degree, I will be fully qualified in a profession earning a decent salary. I’m not saying university is a bad option, but if you are looking at learning new interesting skills and like me want to start earning some cash along the way, an apprenticeship is definitely the way forward!

Superb advice Dan! Keep up the good work and we’ll talk again soon.

After speaking to Dan…I’m even doubting my own career choices! If you’re at a crossroads in your career, you can find loads of advice and guidance by getting in touch here.