A degree, a career and a place to call home: Alfie’s apprenticeship story

Two days after finishing his dissertation, Alfie Jones moved into his own home. It was a personal milestone made possible, he says, by a decision he took after his A-levels: to work towards a degree while earning through an apprenticeship in a growing new field.

County Voice sits down with Alfie to learn about his career path helped by his role in Denbighshire County Council’s Energy team.

Having grown up in Cefn Mawr, Alfie attended school in Ruabon before studying for his A-levels at Coleg Cambria. He knew he wanted a degree, but the traditional university route did not feel right for him. With some of his friends already taking apprenticeships, he began looking for an opportunity of his own.

 That opportunity came at Flintshire County Council, where a housing development apprenticeship introduced him to a profession, he had previously known little about.

Alongside the job, he attended Wrexham University one day a week, studying renewable energy in new housing developments and measures to improve energy efficiency.

Eighteen months into the apprenticeship, an Energy Officer role at Denbighshire County Council offered a chance to bring his studies and day-to-day work closer together. It proved to be a turning point.

The role was much more closely aligned with his university work, Alfie explained. “Things really started to click and my grades went up loads.”

The benefits reached beyond his coursework. Earning while studying helped him take the step into home ownership, giving his choice of career route a significance beyond the qualification itself.

“Ultimately the degree apprenticeship is what enabled me to buy my own house as if I had gone the traditional route, I wouldn’t have earned anything.”

Within Denbighshire’s Energy Team, his studies became part of the working week rather than something separate from it. His manager was in contact with lecturers and course leads, while another officer was studying the same course a year below him and is now in his third year.

As each module began, the team looked at the assignment brief and sought opportunities for Alfie to gain relevant experience on site. The connection helped him put theory into practice and improve his marks.

“Every time a module would come up, we would ask to see the assignment brief or what the assessment is, and he would try and send me out on site to do stuff that would help enable me to get better marks which ultimately I did.”

For assignments involving consultation reports, that meant examining a building’s energy use and considering the difference that measures such as solar panels, new windows or LED lighting could make. Access to council sites, energy data and colleagues’ knowledge gave those reports a practical foundation.

“The thing that enabled me to get better grades at Uni was that I had access to the data and the sites here,” he said.

That learning continues in his role as Energy Officer. His day-to-day responsibilities include producing the council’s display energy certificates, dealing with new meter installations and keeping track of paper bills. Alongside those tasks, smaller projects have given him opportunities to build experience.

One project in particular stands out: work at Ysgol Bro Dyfrdwy after its building management system failed. Alfie visited the school, investigated the problem and contacted the contractor, helping to arrange a replacement system.

Working with a Denbigh plumber, he also gained experience improving the school’s heating system, including its four heating zones, to help manage energy use more effectively. An extension boost provided extra heat when needed in the area used by the community.

Asked about his highlight so far, Alfie returned to that early opportunity to take on a project and see it through.

“It’s probably Ysgol Bro Dyfrdwy. I really enjoyed that,” he said. “Within the first 10 months I definitely did quite a few projects.”

Other work has taken him to Rhyl, where he has gained experience improving the town library’s heating provision. He is also working with the team on a proposal to separate the measurement of gas use at Rhyl Leisure Centre and Rhyl High, which currently share a meter.

“We are looking at putting a sub meter in so we can measure what each site is using so the billing can be done more accurately,” he explained.

The team’s wider work includes solar PV projects across council-owned buildings to reduce reliance on electricity from the grid and lower long-term costs. Through the solar car canopy projects at County Hall and Russell House, Alfie has been able to learn from a colleague and contribute his own views.

That gradual introduction to project work has given him room to develop without taking everything on at once. “It’s great that I’m able to be drip fed projects,” he said, describing the benefits of a managed workload.

With his degree now completed, Alfie is looking ahead. He would like to progress to a Carbon Reduction Officer role, although the next opportunity may depend on whether the team expands. For him, knowing there is a route forward matters.

“The thing that I like about here is the obvious career path. The career grades are structured on experience and qualification. There’s a clear structure.”

Looking back to the end of his A-levels, he remembers how little he knew about the industry he would eventually join. Finding the apprenticeship at Flintshire happened by chance, he said, but he believes such opportunities are becoming more prominent.

His advice to others considering their next step is to look out for degree apprenticeships and recognise that a degree does not have to mean choosing between studying and earning.

For Alfie, that choice has led to a qualification, a career he wants to develop and a home of his own.

“You are learning whilst you are earning and it’s a no brainer.”