Sam Reeve-Skates

Sam Reeve-Skates

Apprentice Engineer

Tell us your story/ a little bit about you?

I’m a village boy at heart, I grew up in a little place in Kent. I’ve had a lot of great engineering role models in my family who were always looking towards my development as an individual. I’m a practical, “hands-on” learner so I decided to train as an Apprentice Engineer at McGee.

My family has always been very supportive of me and my twin sister, who is now studying to become an occupational therapist. They have always been proud and motivating when it comes to taking on new opportunities

I’m currently an office-based engineer working as a part of the Construction Engineering Team, at the same time I have 1 day a week studying a Civil Engineering Degree at the University of West London.

Why McGee?

For me, McGee piqued my interest as it had worked on some well-known projects. It’s also a great location.

This is my first time in the industry so being able to work with a company that is forward-thinking was a necessity for me. Through my interviews alone I could tell that McGee would suit very well to what I wanted to achieve.

The apprenticeship program that is run here at McGee is unparalleled to a lot of companies, and, with the 20% off-the-job training (1 day per week spent at university), I feel like my progression has been boosted beyond what I could’ve expected.

What’s your proudest achievement?

I feel like I have achieved a lot whilst working at McGee, there are many things I’m proud of.

However, I think my most proud achievement was my first time working on a design brief, it is such a rewarding task to be able to work and help both site and office teams. Every time I have done work on a project, visiting and being able to physically see my design in the real world is so rewarding and motivating for me.

There is still a lot of progress I would like to make in the next few years including working towards my chartership.

For any engineers who are looking to get into an apprenticeship, the best advice I can give you is: people like to be asked questions, so why not use that resource to develop yourself?