Apprenticeship opens up new path for worker, 40

Sheldon Swayze is a full-time engineer with National Express, having completed an apprenticeship like the one being undertaken currently by Trumaine Patterson (right)

A 40-year-old transport engineer has encouraged people considering a career change to look at apprenticeships.

Sheldon Swayze from Wolverhampton retrained with National Express after years of experience in factories, carpentry and the care industry.

He completed a three-year course in Birmingham in August 2022, and started a full-time engineering job the following month.

"I love it – no two days are the same," he said.

Mr Swayze, who works on electric and hydrogen buses, said he had always loved working on his own vehicles.

"When this came up, it was ideal for me," he explained.

"I’ve been in jobs before where you watch the clock. Doing this, if anything, there’s never enough hours in the day. The time just flies by because I enjoy what I do so much."

Supported by a tutor and apprentice manager through South & City College Birmingham he described how he had to "readapt" to the learning process after years out of study.

"But with the balance of work and training that you get through an apprenticeship, it came naturally," he added.

“You’re always looking for the next challenge – what’s the next vehicle coming in, is there a job I haven’t tackled yet?"

National Express West Midlands operates 159 electric buses and 20 Wrightbus hydrogen double-decker buses on the 51 route from Birmingham city centre to Walsall.

The company has procured a further 300 zero emissions buses, including electric vehicles for Coventry’s All Electric Bus City project, to reach a target of a 100 per cent zero emission fleet by 2030.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.