NIAW2023: Ciaran Brennan on Track for Heavy Vehicle Apprenticeship

Ciaran Brennan (22), from Drumaness, followed his A Levels at St Colman’s with a course in engineering at SERC but decided to change direction when he discovered the opportunity to move to an Apprenticeship in Heavy Vehicle offered the best mix of hands-on work, learning and study to suit his ambitions.

Ciaran said, “I have always been interested in engineering and how things work.  This stemmed from my grandfather, Christopher, a retired mechanic.   He had a tremendous influence on me, and I have picked up so much knowledge and skills from him throughout my life.”

He added, “Having successfully completed myLevel 2, I have progressed to the Level 3 Heavy Vehicle Apprenticeship.  I am employed by John McQuillan Contracts based in Dundrod, and my role involves working as part of a team to maintain all the organisations plant and vehicles including road surfacing vehicles, skips, bin lorries and forklifts.”

“With the Level 3 comes a bit more responsibility and the opportunity to work more independently as your knowledge and skills progress, so I could be dealing with breakdowns and could be all over Northern Ireland or down South.”  

Ciaran continued, “Learning on the job and in college suits me in that I am continually building on my knowledge. I like the variety of the apprenticeship as one day I could be working on a heavy vehicle and another day, working on a van."

Ciaran added, “My portfolio is going well.  You do have to keep on top of it and we have online tests which have to be completed for each module.  The lecturers at SERC are approachable, knowledgeable, and encouraging.   They give one hundred percent and expect the same back.  I hope to complete my Level 3 in the next year.”

Speaking about the apprenticeship route, Ciaran concluded, “For someone interested in a mix of hands-on learning and study, then I would say this is the best option.  I would encourage anyone moving on from school to include apprenticeships in their research.”

Come along to our Have a Go Sessions for potential apprentices 4.30pm to 7.00pm at: 

Lisburn Campus - Monday 6 February;
Bangor Campus -Tuesday 7 February;
Newtownards Campus - Wednesday 8 February, and 
Downpatrick Campus - Thursday 9 February.

Visit serc.ac.uk/NI-Apprenticeship-Week-2023