We asked John how he initially began his career in training & also his proudest achievements during his tenure at STEGTA.

My initial interest in engineering began aged 14 where I was a member of the Gorse Hill Boys Brigade. I was assisting with the support of the Junior section and worked alongside the Officer who was teaching Electronics. I found it really interesting and decided from this early age that this was something I wanted to pursue as a career.

After completing my exams and leaving Secondary school, I started with EITB (Engineering Industry Training Board). This comprised of 1 year off the job training at North Trafford College which included Electrical, Electronics, Turning, Milling and Fabrication & Welding. After completing, I began work as a second year Apprentice at GEC Traction based in Trafford Park who at the time had around 15,000 staff on site.

After I came out of my time, I was still keen to learn and wanted to further my knowledge. I soon became the first Craft Apprentice in the company to undertake and complete a HNC in Electrical Engineering.

A fellow colleague who was an internal Training Instructor was preparing to leave the company and encouraged me to apply for the job. I applied and was successful which meant that aged 23, I became the youngest Training Instructor at the company. I taught Electrical/Electronic Engineering full time to groups of up to 15 Apprentices from the GEC Group of companies on site at the Training Centre.

After 7 years as a Training Instructor, I took redundancy and seen a vacancy at STEGTA as a Training Officer which I decided to apply for. I’d seen STEGTA at Careers Events and knew a little bit about what they did. I decided to apply for the role and was offered the position. My new role evolved and I soon became involved in other parts of the organisation such as sourcing new business, contract management and dealing with the funding claim. After 5 years at STEGTA, I became Chief Executive designate with a 5 year succession plan eventually taking over as CEO in 2003.

During this time, I led the organisation through various accreditations including TSC (Training Standards Council) and ALI (Adult Learning Inspectorate) which we would now recognise as an OFSTED inspection. We became one of the first Training Providers in the country to achieve a Grade 1 for Trainee support.
I’m pleased to say that STEGTA has grown substantially over the last few years and we currently support around 600 Apprentices, with 180 employers and have partnerships with 30 Colleges across England.

During my career, I’m proud to have provided Mentorship to other CEO’s and supported other Training Providers through OFSTED inspections and other accreditations. I’m also proud to have some of my ex Apprentices as STEGTA Training Officers and to still be in touch with some of my Apprentices from GEC Traction. Some of the children of my Apprentices are now also working towards an Apprenticeship with us!

It’s really rewarding to see their career progression and I’m pleased to have played a small part in their journey.