To follow on from National Apprentice Week 2022, we wanted to shine a light on the accomplishments of one of our colleagues who started as an apprentice. Bill Maddock has been a vital part of Integral for over 14 years, making his way through the ranks from maintenance engineering apprentice to lead engineer, supervisor, and now contract delivery manager.
After finishing school Bill was filling in an application for the Royal Marines, but it was his dad who persuaded him to pursue a trade career. Coincidently, Integral was maintaining the refrigeration units in the M&S Bill’s mum worked in. She asked the maintenance team about apprenticeships and, after Bill sent a letter to an FM manager, he was accepted into an Advanced Diploma in Maintenance Engineering.
On starting the apprenticeship in 2007, Bill’s main aim was to become a qualified engineer. After an abundance of support from the college and the Integral management team, especially the operations manager, Bill excelled, driving him to set goals for the future and eagerly chase the next step. This ambition saw him nominated for an award by his line manager, recognising his input on sites such as London Bridge City, H&S Executive, Richmond Riverside & Alexandra Palace. After a tough panel interview, Bill was awarded Central London Maintenance Association’s Apprentice of the Year in 2009.
From apprentice to leadership award winner. In June of this year (2022) Billy was recognised with an award for exceptional leadership. Climbing the ranks since starting his apprenticeship 15 years ago, Billy has shown dedication and passion to the industry and his team, and become a highly respected member of Integral.
Bill said “I was extremely honoured to be awarded the JLL Work Dynamics EMEA Leadership Award! This is by far the stand out moment of my career, and I cannot thank everyone involved in my development throughout my career enough! I am very proud of this achievement, and I hope my story inspires the next generation of apprentices looking to progress in their careers!”
What would you say to someone considering an apprenticeship?
“Brilliant! If you have a field you’re passionate about, I definitely recommend it. Businesses like Integral look after you, it’s fully funded, and you’ll be highly rewarded. Look for something you have that instant passion for and run with it. Learning then becomes easy because you’re captivated by your passion.”
Paul Brunt, account director at Integral, talks about a skill gap for the engineering industry but believes by teaching young people about the possibilities of apprenticeships, the industry can start to find those skill sets. “Engineering provides a huge variety of areas that most might not know about, so by teaching young people to look around and not accept the first offer, or what is only known to them, the industry could start to bridge that gap.”
Paul, who also started as an apprentice, has been working with Bill for over a year and respects the way he has grown within Integral and the knowledge he has gained of the business, the different areas and the people. “Bill is Integral. I think he has a big future with this business.”
If you would like to find out more about apprenticeships or Integral’s current vacancies, please visit our careers page or to start the conversation on your career path please contact us.
