Meet the Apprentice: Louis Morris
By
Name: Louis Shaun Morris
Name: 16
Name: Electrical Engineer Apprentice
How long have you been with Hydor?
I joined Hydor immediately after finishing school in June 2017.
What do you like most about your job?
I like that it’s not the same every day. I grew up on and around farms and I knew from an early age that it was an environment that I enjoyed and wanted to work in.
Generally, I prefer a more hands-on role, so the apprenticeship scheme with Hydor gives me a good mix of real world experience as well as the qualifications that will be important as I progress my career.
Describe a typical day at Hydor
Day-to-day we’ll be visiting farms and helping farmers to address any issues that they are facing. Essentially, we’re ensuring that all of the ventilation and control systems are operating as well as possible to help the farmers get the most out of their livestock. When we’re undertaking an installation, we may stay on the same site for a number of days to make sure everything is working as well as possible, fitting fans, sensors, lighting and motors and ensuring it’s all working together. We’re often working with famers during their turnaround period after the jet washers have been in, as it can be quite punishing on the equipment in a shed.
What are you studying at college?
I’m studying towards an Advanced Apprenticeship in Electrical Installation, at Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology, which means I’m in college one day a week, following which I’ll receive a Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Installing Electrotechnical Systems and Equipment. Because it’s more of a general course the focus is on domestic circuits, which tend to be a lot simpler than what I’m working on day-to-day. With the work I’m doing with Hydor I’m able to deal with much more complex systems, which is really helping out with my college work.
The course itself is largely a blend of maths and physics, and having a practical reference point is really helpful for me. In my role it’s important to learn quite quickly, which again is helping a lot with college.
What are you looking forward to most in your role?
I’m looking forward to being able to quote for jobs. I’m working closely with my dad, Shaun Morris, and he encourages me to read through the quote book to learn all the prices whenever we have any downtime. I grew up on a dairy farm, so I’m looking forward to working with more dairy and beef cattle farms. Cows are the best, because you can stroke them, whereas chickens can be a bit scary!
What is it like working for Hydor as an apprentice and what is expected of you?
I’m really enjoying the role, and it’s helping me out a lot with college. I like the fact that it’s challenging me and I’m getting to work on lots of different projects. It’s clearly important to avoid making mistakes, because if there are any issues with wiring it could have serious consequences, but all the work that I do is checked and double-checked by my dad Shaun, to ensure there aren’t any issues.
Are there any challenges?
It’s a big difference from school in that you have to keep your concentration all the time and you can’t really drift off, but that’s one of the things I like about it, because it keeps me interested. I didn’t particularly enjoy school as I’m more practically minded, so the apprenticeship really works for me.
What do you want to do in the future?
Firstly, I’m looking to finish my apprenticeship, which will take three years. Hopefully, Hydor will be able to take me on full time at the end of that because I like working for the company and I’ll be able to keep working with farms. When I’m a lot older I’d like to move into buying and developing property, so the skills I’m learning at Hydor and at college will be hugely useful at that point as well. It’ll mean that I’ll still be able to live in the countryside, rather than having to move to a bigger city or town.
