Taneisha De Gruchy

What do you do and where do you do it?

I am an apprentice plumber working for JEBS which is the Building Service Division of Jersey Electricity plc in the Channel Islands.

Why is your role important?

Plumbing is an essential trade and we maintain essential infrastructure e.g sanitation, water supplies, heating.

Which parts of the job do you enjoy most/find most rewarding?

I really enjoy big jobs which I get to see through the entire way, i.e. boilers and cylinders, or site work in my previous company, as it gives you a sense of achievement knowing you've done it all (mostly) by yourself.

What path did you use to get to the position you hold today?

I stayed in school until I got my GCSEs, and then joined the Trackers programme, where they helped me find my first plumbing job.

What did you do before?

I've worked in plumbing for over two years, but before that I just did retail jobs in addition to my studies.

What attracted you to join the energy and utilities sector? Why is your current position better/more satisfying?

I've always loved practical work, my father's a carpenter so we always did home projects together, so when I left school I knew I wanted to go into a trade. Plumbing seemed like the best option because its an ever expanding industry, and its needed everywhere in the world.

What are you most passionate about?

I'm passionate about helping people and making a difference, however small.

Have you been nominated for or won any awards?

Not yet, but I definitely wouldn't mind getting one.

What excites you about your career prospects? What training and development have you received?

Trade jobs allow you a lot of freedom with where you want to go in the world, I think I'm definitely excited to have that opportunity in the future. I'm also excited to just be able to be qualified and do the jobs on my own, I think difficult jobs like plumbing require a lot of independence when you're working on things alone, and I'm excited to be able to rely solely on myself when there is a problem. I've had quite a lot of training, mostly in college or on day courses organised by Trackers, for example, Manual Handling, Asbestos Awareness, Health and Safety etc.

What does an average day consist of?

An average day usually consists of finding out who I'm working with and then heading to the job, which most of the time is a boiler or cylinder installation. The first step on the job is usually a visual check, and making a plan of where everything's going to go, and then its basically just completing the work needed.

Would you recommend your job to a friend and why?

I would absolutely recommend my job, it's definitely not a job for everyone, but if you think that you would enjoy it then absolutely go for it. If you like working with your hands and don't want to be tied down to a desk all day then its definitely a good option.

What are some of the highlights and challenges of being a woman in an energy sector role?

It's great to see how welcoming a lot of people are, being a woman in the trade, and it opens up a lot of conversations with my peers or even random strangers. There are definitely some struggles I've faced in the past with discrimination, and there are definitely going to be some in the future, but the world is always changing and becoming more accepting, and I think that with me and other women moving into male dominated industries it's only going to aid society to become more inclusive.

Do you have any advice on how these roles can appeal to a more diverse candidate pool?

I think companies need show that there is representation for almost everyone in the trade industry, be that through going to schools or career shows and encouraging young people to see that they don't have to be a certain gender, race, height, or build to actually join a trade. I've spoken to a lot of people who wanted to join a trade when they were younger but didn't think they would fit in or get the job, and I think if diversity was shown, then that wouldn't happen as much.

Do you have any advice for anyone thinking about applying for an Apprenticeship role at Jersey Electricity?

I would say absolutely go for it, I've only worked here for a couple months, but all the guys are really welcoming and helpful, and you can tell that the management really care about their workers, which is nice to see with such a large company. My advice would be just work hard and show interest in the job that you're doing, as there's a lot to learn.