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Apprenticeship programme at Sight and Sound Technology

Harry East, aged 17, joined Sight and Sound Technology’s Technical Support department as an apprentice last year and tells us more about his experience to date.

“I’m currently working on an IT Infrastructure Technician apprenticeship, which usually takes between 12-18 months. I was in my first year in college last year but, because of Covid, it was all online and I really wasn’t enjoying it. I found they were trying to teach really difficult stuff on MS Teams and it just wasn’t working. I didn’t know anyone and there was no chance to get to know people on the course because it was all done from home.”

Ruth Gallagher Carr, who heads up the Technical Support department, says that the apprenticeship scheme works really well both for the individual training and the company.

“Sight and Sound Technology have been employing apprentices for many years. It’s a fantastic way to invest in a new team member. The scheme not only provides them with mainstream technical training, but also provides the business with a structure by which to introduce the apprentices to all the specialist technology we supply and support.”

Harry has dived right in, learning not only about technical support but also about specialist technology and supporting customers with vision impairment.

“The apprenticeship is going really well. I’m learning about computer systems, networks and general IT support. I’m interacting with customers, doing repairs, helping customers connecting to their machines and helping them with any other issues they call in with. Since the day I started, everything has been new. I’d never seen most of the products before! It’s a whole different way of supporting people because I might be dealing with people who are blind or have low vision, or students with dyslexia, so you have to come up with different and creative ways to support them.”

Apprenticeship has been part of Sight and Sound Technology for many years, as Ruth explains further.

“As a manager I find it rewarding to see them hone their skills and decide on a career. For some this means moving onto a new company once the apprenticeship ends, but for others this means staying with Sight and Sound Technology. Several of our current team members started as apprentices, some over 15 years ago! As a result, we have a team with the technical know-how, and a passion for assistive technology, needed to support our customers in the best possible way.”

Harry has plenty of options for the future – as well as working on completing his apprenticeship, he is a talented musician and music producer with his own small business producing music.