Having completed a week’s work experience with the Telford-based heating and renewable energy systems manufacturer while at school, Marcus kept in touch with Viessmann and began an engineering apprenticeship with the company when he started college. Now aged 19, and in the fourth year of his course due to delays caused by Covid-19, Marcus has continued to balance his apprenticeship for three days a week alongside his gas engineering course at Dudley College. But the juggling has been more than worth it.
Marcus’ job as a Viessmann Engineer Apprentice involves learning how to service and repair Viessmann’s entire product range; from domestic gas boilers, to commercial CHP engines. He is supported by line manager, Kevin Coulter.
“Compared to other apprenticeships, my time at Viessmann has been really varied and hands-on. I’ve worked with domestic, commercial and renewable heating products and learnt to diagnose problems, and even help out with servicing.
“Engineers call up with jobs they think I can help out on or might learn from, and then we’re off – no two days are the same. My apprenticeship has given me an opportunity to explore what I enjoy most, to deal with customers directly, and the practical experience has helped me grow up and into my role really quickly by giving me lots more responsibility than other people in my position elsewhere.”
National Apprentice Week runs from 7th to 13th February, and is a national campaign to celebrate existing apprenticeships and encourage businesses to realise the enormous benefits apprenticeships bring to a whole host of industries.
Service director, Andrew Lambert, heads up the customer service team at Viessmann. He says, “We know from experience the difference great service makes. We have the best engineers in the industry, and one of the main reasons to buy from Viessmann is because of the service back up we provide. This first apprenticeship in the customer experience team is a first step towards instilling that great service right at the start of an engineer’s journey.”
“The fact that during his time with us, even through a worldwide pandemic, Marcus has worked in everything from customers' houses to massive plant rooms is incredible. At a time when the industry is facing a skills shortage, he has continued to learn the Viessmann way of doing things and will finish this trailblazer apprenticeship with the solid grounding he needs to start an exciting career. Marcus is undoubtedly an excellent example of what it means to be part of a modern apprenticeship in a first-class service team. We wish him all the very best for finishing his qualification, and look forward to welcoming more apprentices to the 'university of learning' that is Viessmann in the future."
In his free time, Marcus enjoys playing football and is a keen Wolverhampton Wanderers fan. His apprenticeship will end when he finishes his college course, but he’s looking forward with confidence to what’s coming next. “I’m definitely going to go into the CHP side of things. There’s far more autonomy and variety in the work, and I like that. The next step for me is an improver’s year – where I’ll go out to jobs on my own for a few days a week and some days with another engineer. The biggest part of a good apprenticeship for me has been having a solid working plan and laying out clearly what’s coming next, so I know it’s going to be a smooth transition into whatever the next step for me is.”
“For anyone considering an apprenticeship with Viessmann, I’d say go for it – it’s a great company to work for!” says Marcus.
Viessmann’s service team is now developing partnerships with more colleges to generate further apprenticeship opportunities. “We are actively looking to develop the next generation of heating engineers, who can provide energy efficient heating solutions and support customers making the transition to renewable technologies”, says Andrew Lambert.
