A Middlesbrough man has swapped his Army uniform for overalls to take up a plumbing apprenticeship with North East building services firm John N Dunn Group.
James Morte served with The Rifles, the Army’s largest infantry regiment, and completed a tour of Afghanistan during his six years as a Rifleman.
After leaving the Army, 33 year-old James looked at a number of different career options while also spending time as the primary carer for his young children while his wife Tiffany completed a nursing degree.
Having decided on a career in the building trades, he approached John N Dunn for work experience after seeing their team working as the plumbing contractor on a housing development close to his home.
And after successfully completing a month’s trial with the business, James was offered a place on its four-year apprenticeship programme, which offers a mix of on-the-job training and classroom-based learning at college, and which will eventually lead to an NVQ Level Three qualification in plumbing and heating.
James is now working alongside experienced plumber Terry Fields, who acts as a mentor for his development and who demonstrates how the skills James is learning about during his weekly visits to New College Durham can be applied practically on the job.
He says: “When I came out of the Army, I wasn’t certain what I wanted to do, but having looked at the different trades within the construction sector, I decided plumbing would be a good option.
“I spoke to the site manager at a housing development near where I live and he put me in touch with John N Dunn, who offered me a month’s trial after seeing how keen I was to get into their industry.
“The opportunity this has led to will give me the chance to get fully qualified as a plumbing and heating engineer, with the qualification that I’m working towards being at a higher level than you’d usually expect from an apprenticeship.
“Everything’s going brilliantly so far and I’m getting great support from Terry, who’s on hand to help me perfect the skills that I’m picking up and then gives me the responsibility for putting them into practice on different jobs.
“I’m really happy with my career choice and want to repay the John N Dunn Group team for the trust they’ve put in me by giving my absolute best to the job.”
John N Dunn Group has a 280-strong team operating between South Yorkshire and central Scotland, and works with many of the UK’s major housing developers and associations, as well as commercial contractors.
It currently has 30 apprentices on its books, and recently hit a major workforce landmark with the recruitment of James as its 500th apprentice.
Chairman Stephen Bilclough adds: “James’ enthusiasm and aptitude for the job were clear from the start, and the fantastic feedback we had from our team made offering him an apprenticeship a very easy decision.
“He will get lots of supervision and support as he develops his skills on a range of live projects and we’re confident that he has what it takes to build a successful plumbing career.”