Andy Bennett is the Marketing Communications and Distribution Manager at e2v, and has been with the company for 24 years. He joined back in 1981 when it was known as EEV and has worked his way up the ranks.

He’s had various roles moving from engineering into sales, and has got to travel to the four corners of the world. Here’s a bit about his experiences as an apprentice and beyond…

What’s a typical day like for you?

My current job entails looking after our global marketing communications demands, and also our global distributors.

During a typical day there are always some questions from distributors, who’re either not sure who to talk to in the factory or just have a general question about contracts and contract opportunities. These kinds of queries I deal with on my own.

I also have a small team I oversee; some of which are based in the UK, some in the US, and they organise all of the marketing activities for our three business groups. They will do things like exhibitions, advertising campaigns etc. I oversee them, so they come to me for comments, approval, agreement on whether we think we’ve got the right sort of project underway etc…

What made you decide to take an apprenticeship and what was the experience like?

Taking an apprenticeship was a very deliberate move for me, and it had to be; when I started my apprenticeship in 1981 the process to get an apprenticeship position was quite torturous! It was very, very competitive. I remember there were a thousand people going for these few apprenticeships, and we had to go into a hall and do these tests. So it wasn’t something you could just walk into, it had to be something you really wanted.

Obviously, I got the position at e2v, and began my four year apprenticeship from 1981 to 1985. I really enjoyed it. It was in instrument production and engineering, but I got to work in many different areas. Each section of the company is very, very diverse; we do a lot of different things and the apprenticeship allows you work through lots of different areas in the company on six month secondments. It’s a great concept; it really is the only opportunity to get around and try all different areas of the company and different types of jobs.

What qualifications if any did you get from it?

After five years of study at a local college, I came out with an HNC in instrument and production engineering.

How have you worked your way up; what positions have you done?

At the end of my apprenticeship the area I joined a development area focusing on electronic tubes. From there, I stayed in many engineering roles such as R&D and operations for about three or four years.  Then in 1989 an opportunity came up in the sales area to sell the tubes I had been responsible for making, so it was a good opportunity because I didn’t have to learn the products, I only had to learn how to sell them. I had the background to talk to the customers technically; I just had to learn those selling skills.

So that was really the biggest career step for me; a move away from operations and into sales. I knew that I didn’t want to stay as a vacuum tube engineer but wasn’t sure what next, then this opportunity came up and I thought this is a good way to broaden my skills.

The next big step was in 2002 when I moved to become responsible for global distribution, and then in 2004 I took over global marketing communications and distribution, which is my current role!

What’ve you enjoyed the most about your job?

Since moving into sales, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to quite literally the four corners of the world, which is great. With the kinds of products we sell, I’ve been able to go to South America, North America, Alaska, all around Europe, Australia, South Africa; the lot really. The only place I haven’t really made it to is Russia!

But overall, I think from the point of view of what I’ve done here, it’d be the variety that I’ve enjoyed. When I started I didn’t think I’d be a sales engineer, I was interested in the pure engineering aspects of the job. But I’ve moved up the ranks, taken on new roles and challenges and will continue to do so…

What advice would you give to other people looking into apprenticeships?

When I left school at 16 to come here, there was a lot of people saying; ‘You shouldn’t really do that. You need to stay in school land do A levels and go to university etc’. I had that option, I could have done that, but at that point, what I actually wanted to be was a draughtsman because I really enjoyed the technical drawing I got to do at school, and an apprenticeship was the only way in at that time.

The important thing people need to understand is that an apprenticeship is not an alternative to getting a higher education. You also continue your education in an apprenticeship job. For example, I’ve done a HNC, and at a later date I also completed a two year Open University course. Plus, I’m in the process now of learning Mandarin because we’ve got an office in China. So I want people to understand that it’s not an alternative to higher education, you continue to educate yourself through an apprenticeship too.

Also, I’d certainly say be open-minded about what opportunities an apprenticeship might open for you, because I went in with a very fixed idea of what I wanted to do. But once I got in, and I started to see what other things I could do in the apprenticeship, the idea of becoming a draughtsman went away within a few months!