A local man is a step closer to achieving his dream of becoming an electrical designer after securing an apprenticeship with the support of Opportunity Goole, a project funded by Goole Town Deal.

When he first made contact with the Opportunity Goole team, Nikolajs Lukjanovs of Goole had already completed Levels 2 and 3 of his electrical installation qualifications. As he was keen to secure employment, Sarah Bonnett, a Personal Advisor within the team, arranged for him to volunteer with local not-for-profit organisation The Green Team to gain some invaluable work experience. 

Sarah also helped Nikolajs to access additional support and training, to prepare his CV and with job hunting. She introduced him to potential employers and signposted him to colleagues within East Riding of Yorkshire’s Council’s wider Learning, Skills and Workforce Development team, who conducted a mock job interview with him so that he was well prepared when the time came for him to attend a formal interview. These referrals also resulted in Nikolajs completing his Construction Skills Certification Scheme training – and passing with top marks! 

As he continued his search for work in his chosen field, Nikolajs secured a temporary role with DHL, as well as completing work experience with East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Housing Maintenance team.

He was delighted when he went on to secure an apprenticeship role with Energe Limited as an Electrical Improver, commenting: “Opportunity Goole helped me improve my CV to the best standard; to get work experience and work; and to get what I wanted, an apprenticeship.”

He continued: “First, they gave me recommendations about volunteering to get some basic work experience. Volunteering for a few months gave me a deeper understanding of working as a team since, in college, we were doing more jobs and tasks by ourselves. Opportunity Goole then helped me with getting my first job, and starting to work and improve even more.

“Sarah, in particular, has helped me in many ways, from giving me support with words to helping me to meet people who could help me get to where I wanted to be. I highly appreciate all the team’s efforts.”

Nikolajs added: “Opportunity Goole has opened doors for me that I would not be able to open by myself, simply because I did not know what to do, or where and how to start. It was an amazing experience, thank you, and I’d highly recommend Opportunity Goole to others. The main thing is not to give up and to move on without stopping, even if you’re struggling with motivation sometimes.”

Of his new role at Energe Limited, Nikolajs said: “It is a wonderful company with wonderful people, and I would love to carry on working there and reach my goals of becoming an electrical designer.”

To find out more about Opportunity Goole and the free support on offer from the team, email the team.