Because a career in engineering deserves the right support
When Adam Warnock started his apprenticeship at 30, the IET Future Talent Award gave him more than financial support. It opened doors he never expected.
Adam Warnock is currently in the second year of his electrical and electronic engineering higher level apprenticeship at Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) Networks. As a former IET Future Talent Award winner, he's seen the benefits of the scheme first-hand, and has become one of its most enthusiastic advocates.
A different route in
Warnock’s path into engineering hasn’t been your standard, he actually became an overhead lines apprentice aged 30, after applying for a place on NIE Networks’ scheme.
Looking back, Warnock was always good with his hands, and when it came to choosing his GCSEs, engineering felt like a natural fit. But like most 16-year-olds, the future was far from mapped out. Leaving school at 16 he began a carpentry and joinery course at a technical college, only to find that no employer would take him on as an apprentice, as the building trade had ground to a halt.
Undeterred, he decided to take a different path and completed an NVQ in stores, warehousing and distribution. His interest in vehicles led to a placement at a local car franchise as a parts advisor. A month in, they offered him a permanent job.
Four years later, when three friends decided to try their luck in Australia, Warnock went with them. “Six months later, I came home. I simply wasn't ready for it: too far from family, too soon.” He arrived back and the next day was on the phone, calling every contact he had, asking if anyone needed an extra pair of hands.
A friend offered him a few days in his window fabrication workshop, and this turned into a 10-year stint at the company where he worked his way up to one of the most senior roles.
But by the time he turned 30, a wife, young child and a mortgage had sharpened his focus on the future. He wanted to establish a career with better income and progression opportunities and thought back to his love of all things engineering. A former colleague, by then completing an apprenticeship with NIE Networks, kept nudging him to follow his lead. "If the overhead lines apprenticeship comes up again, you have to apply," he told him. "Just do it.” Warnock took the leap and the rest is history.
Joining the IET
As an IET Corporate Partner, NIE Networks works closely with the organisation to support the continuing professional development (CPD) of its engineers. All apprentices become IET members when they join the scheme, and within his first week Warnock had been introduced to the benefits, which included scholarship opportunities like the IET Future Talent Award.
The timing was perfect. He'd just bought a house, taken a pay cut to make the move into engineering, and had a young child at home. "I thought this was a great opportunity," he says. He recently spoke to an industry friend who admitted he'd dismissed the scholarship entirely, so is keen to spread the word to others who might be on the fence. "It took me maybe 30 to 40 minutes to fill out the paperwork and it was worth every minute!"
The scholarship provided Warnock with financial support he put to immediate use, buying a laptop and stationery for his foundation degree. It also helped cover the transport costs for his 150-mile round trip to college every Wednesday.
More than money
Beyond the financial support, the scholarship opened doors Warnock hadn't anticipated. Award winners were invited to a special event at IET London: Savoy Place for a networking day that brought together apprentices, students and engineers from across the industry.
"The first hour alone was eye-opening," he says. "Engineers working across all different sectors, all at different stages of their careers, swapping stories about what they were working towards. Some of them had really crazy jobs. I thought it was fantastic."
The day included four workshops focused on building a successful engineering career. "I could have stayed for a week," he laughs.
Throughout his apprenticeship, Warnock has regularly attended IET events hosted by NIE Networks, and the IET's monthly magazine E+T has kept him connected to where the industry is heading. "I genuinely look forward to it arriving each month," he says.
When things got tough
Warnock's apprenticeship journey hasn't been without setbacks. Just thirteen months into his overhead lines apprenticeship he suffered a serious knee injury that made it impossible for him to continue on the scheme. NIE Networks stepped in, bringing him into the office, keeping him busy and connected throughout, while he considered his next steps.
Colleagues recommended he apply for a higher-level apprenticeship at the organisation, training to become a technician, balancing office-based planning with on-site supervision, without the physical demands that had sidelined him. Having gained a place on this scheme, he’s now working towards a foundation degree in electrical and electronic engineering.
Looking ahead
With Warnock due to complete his higher apprenticeship next September, he’s already thinking about what comes next. IET membership, he says, isn't something he intends to let lapse, and he’s planning to work towards EngTech professional registration. His own manager came up through an apprenticeship route and proudly shares that he’s professionally registered in his email signature. “To me, professional registration is really important.”
For Warnock, the IET scholarship has come to represent something bigger than its individual benefits. "You feel part of something," he says simply. And for a man who has taken every setback in his stride and built a career through sheer persistence, that clearly means a great deal.