A Bright New Spark
And then there was light…but it needed a few bright sparks to do it.
One of those responsible for illuminating the vast Olympic stadium is Hayley Phippen, 23, from Deptford, south London. She is an apprentice electrician, who has been learning her trade working on the site of the 2012 Olympic Games.
‘I was involved in putting in the staircase lighting in the main stadium – so hopefully it will work,’ she said. ‘I have been working on the site for two years. It has been a fantastic experience and will definitely be something to tell the grandkids.’
After leaving school, Hayley went to college to take four A-levels: law, English Lit, sociology and general studies. But after a year she decided that it wasn’t for her. It was her father, an electrician, who suggested that she follow his footsteps. She said: ‘I’ve always enjoyed making things and practical work and I’m always called in to help people assemble their flat pack furniture kits. My dad said it was a good career with lots of opportunities.’
Hayley was put in touch with JTL, a leading training provider in the engineering sector, after telephoning the career service, Connexions. She took a test and was then taken on by T Clarke, one of the UK’s best-respected building services contractors. She began her apprenticeship, learning on the job and going to college to study towards a Level 3 certificate in electrotechnical technology (2330). Her first jobs included working on contacts at Canon Street in the city, Canary Wharf and a re-fit at University College London.
There have been times when she has been the only female worker out of 250 on the site. She said: ‘I was nervous on my first day. There is always banter on a building site and you have to get used to it. But on the whole everybody has been great. Some of the men try not to swear in front of me, but the younger men do not think anything of it and treat me the same. I love my job, I am doing something different and learning something new every day from experts in their field. And it is great to be paid while I am studying and working. ‘
The only slight problem has been the clothes. ‘Even the smallest sized T-shirts are too big and they have to specially order my size six gloves,’ she said.
Working on the Olympic site has been a fantastic experience, not just because of the range of work. Hayley says it will be a great addition to her cv to have worked on such a high-profile and important contract. She can even say that she has met Gordon Brown, the former prime minister, when he visited the site.
‘There is always a challenge working here,’ she said. ‘It can be cold and wet, but you get used to it. I have all the protective gear and you soon get warm once you are working. It has been fantastic to have been here from the day it was just a hole in the ground and then watch it grow up into these amazing and iconic buildings. And I have been a part of it.’
Bob Noseda, one of the managers of the London 2012 Apprenticeship programme, said: ‘Hayley is an extremely talented electrician. I have seen her work and it is of the highest order. I predict that she will go far.’
It is just a matter of getting the paperwork done and she will be a qualified electrician. ‘I will be so proud to be able to call myself a spark,’ she said. ‘And my dad will be even prouder.’
