AN electrical engineering apprentice from Warminster is urging young people from the town to consider earning while they learn with an apprenticeship rather than going to university.

Thomas Waterland, who works at local electricity network operator Southern Electric Power Distribution’s depot in Melksham, believes that being paid to learn is a much more viable option than racking up debt at university.

Mr Waterland said: “I’ve always been fixated on working with electricity and doing things with my hands, so I was over the moon when I got onto my apprenticeship. It definitely beats being at college; you have a lot of independence and it gives you the opportunity to achieve so much.

“And of course being paid to learn is a bonus and makes you want to put maximum effort in. I think apprenticeships are a brilliant way into a career and there’s one to suit everyone.”

According to the Skills Funding Agency, apprenticeship participation now stands at a record level with 871,800 funded apprentices earning while they learn in the 2014 to 2015 academic year, and 23 per cent of former apprentices receiving a promotion within 12 months of finishing.

National Apprenticeship Week ran from March 14 – 18 and aimed to highlight the benefits of apprenticeships over traditional academic routes into work.

To find out more about an apprenticeship with Southern Electric Power Distribution, visit www.sse.com/careers/apprentices