Richard Marriott

Have you worked at JE since you left full-time education?

After my A-Levels I spent 18 months as an office administrator for a company that employed crew for seismic research vessels all over the world which taught me to be well-organised in an office environment.

I then realised I wanted to have a trade and being an electrician appealed to me. I couldn’t find an apprentice job but Securicor was looking for a fully-qualified alarms installer; I applied and got an interview! They weren’t looking for an apprentice but they offered me a job to train up which included day release at Highlands.

What was your first role at JE?

I joined as an Metering Technician in January 2007 after realising that Securicor (G4S now) wasn’t the company I wanted to be in.

The work was interesting but the company was not managed well at the time.

What made you go for that role?

Joining JE I made it clear that I was after a career not just a job, so the security of the company, the reputation of the company and opportunities were the main things that appealed to me.

The job as a Metering Technician sounded interesting but as it was very different to what I had previously done, I had to take a leap of faith.

How have your skills developed during your time with JE?

After a few months of being at JE I realised that those in the
company that were progressing well had put themselves forward for additional training (practical and academic).

I looked at university courses and found the Open University. I applied for two courses starting in September 2007 and this began my 10 year journey which culminated in my BEng (Hons) in September 2017.

The important point to note is that I started the degree journey on my own with my own money as it was for me. I have become a lot more aware of how other people work and that it is important to not discount those opinions or actions of others who operate in a different way to your own.

How has JE supported your career decisions?

I have been lucky enough to gain two promotions over the last 8 years within the Metering department and this has been down (in part) to taking advantage of opportunities from the company to learn and develop as a person and a manager.

It has been difficult at times to see what other opportunities are possible in other areas but that is part of the goals of the corporation in the coming years.

Finally, what advice would you give someone just starting out in their chosen career?

The company have supported me since I joined and have continued to do so, but I feel it is important to show willingness to take on things independently and not always wait to see what the company can do for you.

Ask what you can do for yourself.