Eddy Adams joined One2Call as an apprentice just over a year ago, so to celebrate his first year with us, we sent Nick Wylie to find out a bit more about him and his apprenticeship journey so far.
As a very busy member of the installations team it was hard to find time in Eddy's schedule to have a sit down and chat, but when I did I started by asking him about why an apprenticeship appealed to him.
He told me that choosing an apprenticeship came from wanting a route into work that felt practical and worthwhile. The chance to earn while learning appealed straight away, especially because it meant gaining real hands-on experience while working towards a qualification at the same time.
“I thought I would be smart by starting at 21, just basically be on a normal 21-year-old’s wage and also get a qualification. That’s pretty much it. I thought it’d be good to work and get a qualification as well.”
For him, it came back to being able to get started properly rather than spending longer weighing up what to do next.
Although the apprenticeship was a new chapter, Eddy was not coming in without experience. He already had a background in IT through independent coding, help desk work and some backend engineering exposure at Virgin Media. So when the opportunity came up at One2Call, there were different routes he could have taken.
“Nick (Managing Director) asked me, would you rather go into installations or help desk, because we’ve got both available at the minute. I thought going out every day and getting a bit more hands-on experience sounds better. We were going to try installations for a month and then help desk for a month and see what I preferred, but I just stayed with installations.”
It did not take long for him to realise installations suited him. Being out on different jobs, working in different places and dealing with something new each day was a big part of the appeal. It felt more varied, more practical and more in line with what he wanted.
One of the first projects that really gave Eddy a sense of the role was a site in Davenham, where he worked alongside Systems Specialist Engineer Jordan Hibberd on a project for a switchgear provider. It showed him how much sits behind a finished system that most people never see. What stood out was not just the work itself, but being involved from the very beginning and watching something take shape.
“When I first started, we were literally doing the infrastructure, starting with cables, door access, mag locks, installations of all them. It was just a big warehouse and we’ve seen it going from just being a massive empty space warehouse to now where it’s a fully working business.”
Being part of something from day one gave him a different understanding of the work. It was not just about completing tasks, it was seeing how everything came together.
A lot of what Eddy has learned has come simply from being out on the job every day. Some of it has built on knowledge he already had, but much of it has been completely new.
“There’s been some software like 3CX (business communications system) that I’ve learned, especially with communications, business telephone software's and, (features like) call routing, all that has been new to me, and installations in general have definitely been my main area.”
As his understanding has grown, so has his appreciation of how much detail goes into installations. What might sound straightforward from the outside is often much more involved.
“There is a proper sequence to it,” he said. “Normally the first thing is putting the cable into place, then you terminate the ends of the cable, make sure the switch port’s on and providing Ethernet, and then the final thing, which is normally the longest taking thing, is the end device, whether that’s a phone, a magnetic door lock, or something that needs wiring into a full system.”
Eddy has found that one of the clearest signs of his progress is that things that once felt completely unfamiliar now feel routine.
“A lot of the skills I use every day now are things I’d never even come across before joining,” he said. “When I started, I couldn’t even do a glass end (the process of preparing and sealing the glass fibre connections that keep networks running), and it takes real precision to get right. I also had no experience with things like phone systems. Now, once you know what you’re doing, it all becomes a process.”
There are plenty of things he now does without thinking that would have felt daunting at the start.
Not all of that development has been technical. Some of it has come through learning how to deal with customers in a completely different way.
Coming from help desk support, Eddy had experience speaking to customers over the phone. Being face to face with people on site brought a different challenge - the balance between being approachable while still carrying professionalism.
“I found that sort of balance between obviously being friends with someone and also you’re paying me to be here sort of thing. You want to be friendly to people, but you want to make them feel like they’re getting their money’s worth and the time that you’re spending on site is well spent.”
Like most apprenticeships, the learning does not stop when the working day ends. There are evidence requirements, targets and dedicated learning hours to keep up with too.
For Eddy, that has probably been the biggest challenge.
“It’s not hard stuff, really, but you’ve got to put the time in. There’s a minimum requirement of time as well, it’s basically a day a week, and if we don’t have the total amount over the year then we need to go and do more.”
It is a side of apprenticeships people do not always think about, but it comes with the territory.
When asked about a moment he is particularly proud of, Eddy points to a project in Camden where he and Jacob (another One2Call apprentice) worked on a demanding cable installation for a high-value client. It was the kind of job where there was little room for disruption and even less room for error.
“They wanted a load of cables all coming from different locations, we couldn’t stop them working for even a minute, and we were going straight through the CFO’s office! I didn’t think we’d get it done, but we managed it, and I think we logged about twenty-five hours of overtime over pretty much Saturday and a Friday night.”
It was a tough project, but one that clearly stuck with him.
Eddy is quick to point out how important support from the team has been throughout his apprenticeship. It has helped both with developing technical skills and making sure the learning side of the programme stays on track.
“Paul (Hibberd, company Director and Business Support Manager) has been really good. Basically anything you need - If there’s certain topics I need to cover - he’ll make sure there's a job for that, or he’ll get me shadowing someone if it’s not normally what I’d be doing.”
Support from people around him, including Luke and Jordan - the senior installations engineers - on installations, has played a big part in how much he has developed.
Over the course of the year, Eddy feels he has changed personally as well as professionally, particularly in confidence and how he carries himself in a team environment
“People are really just outgoing there and talking, and it kind of rubs off on you a bit. You sort of realise that being mature is being friendly and talkative to people and being nice, not just getting your head down and working non-stop.”
It says a lot about how much of the learning has happened beyond the technical side too.
Even while completing the apprenticeship, Eddy is already thinking about what comes next and where he wants to build from here.
“I want to finish my apprenticeship by, I reckon, October time. Once I’ve finished, I do want to get a few certifications like IPAF and stuff like that, and then just get better. Every few months I’ll come across something and think I’ve literally never heard of this before, and then I’m learning it from scratch.”
There is a curiosity in the way he talks about learning, and that probably says a lot about why the apprenticeship has suited him.
When it comes to advice, Eddy keeps it simple and grounded in his own experience.
“It definitely helps if it’s something that you’re already interested in. It doesn’t have to be, but if it’s something that you already know a little bit about or have an understanding of what it entails, that helps. Just do your research and make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into.”
It is practical advice, but honest too. Having some idea of the role and what it involves can only help.
What stands out in Eddy’s story is how much he has already gained in a relatively short time. He joined with some IT experience and a willingness to learn, but has built practical skills, technical knowledge and confidence through the apprenticeship.
From infrastructure builds to complex client projects, he has already covered a lot of ground. And listening to him talk about what comes next, it feels much more like the start of a journey than the end of one.