COLCHESTER man will train as a professional engineer and will be working to keep the power flowing to thousands of homes and businesses.

Joshua McAlinden joined UK Power Networks where he was selected for the two-and-a-half-year higher apprenticeship to become a fully qualified engineer.

Before joining the country’s biggest electricity distributor, he was a smart meter operative and cable jointer.

The UK Power Networks distributes electricity across the South East, the East of England and London to 8.4 million customers.

The company are working to deliver safe and reliable power supplied to enable the increase of electric vehicles and electric heating towards a low carbon future.

Joshua, 30, said: “This was a great opportunity to expand on the knowledge I have and move into a new field.

“There is so much to learn in this new role and the qualification can be applied to loads of other areas in the business.

“I’m hoping to use this experience to train and become a future leader.

“I’d like to be a fully qualified protection and commissioning engineer for years to come.”

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Dudley Sparks, UK Power Networks’ head of technical training and technical assurance said: “Apprentices are a vital component of our business make-up and a great way to show the work we’re doing in our communities.

“As we strive towards achieving Net Zero, they will play a vital part in helping to find new engineering solutions and ensuring that we have secure, reliable supplies for the future.”