Building Our Skills – Making Fenestration, Glass and Glazing a Career of
Choice has always sought to promote the breadth of career
opportunities offered by the industry. The organisation strongly backs
apprenticeships as a great starting point for those joining the industry
and an employee at Kubu, the smart security specialist, is demonstrating
exactly why.
Morgan Fisher joined Kubu straight from school as an apprentice in
2019. Since then, she has worked her way up to Marketing Assistant,
and it is clear that she has her sights set on significant further career
development.
Morgan says:
“The company took me on as an apprentice in business administration.
Pretty quickly I was dealing with all sorts of areas of the business,
including customer service and key accounts management. Then Covid
hit and the company needed me to be very flexible and take on a broad
range of tasks. I really learnt ‘on the job’. You could say I was thrown in
at the deep end, because Covid added to the everyday business
challenges all the staff faced, but the experience shaped me and made
me resilient.
“What really showcased the diversity of my skills, I suppose, was last
year’s FIT show. I was able to organise quite a bit of it for the company,
and this did two things: firstly, it solidified an ambition in me to get
involved more in marketing, and secondly it brought my work to the
attention of the company’s Head of Marketing, who arranged for me to
join the marketing department. Now I’m handling a broad variety of
tasks. One day I’m working on video production, another I’m arranging
events. It’s challenging but enjoyable. I’ve got a diverse role, and I feel
quite independent now. I’ve really had to rely on my instincts and use
my initiative, which has been good for me.
“I’m really passionate about the apprenticeship I completed. It was a
fabulous stepping-stone into the career that I’m forging for myself, and I
wouldn’t hesitate to recommend apprenticeships to other people who
are starting out and wondering what to do. I had no idea when I started
out that the fenestration industry had so many roles on offer. You tend
to think of it only in terms of installing windows and doors, don’t you?”
It is not just Kubu putting the seal of approval on Morgan’s career.
Having tucked Apprentice of the Year 2021 under her belt, courtesy of
the National Apprenticeship Awards, she is optimistic about her future.
Morgan adds:
“It’s such a positive thing that Kubu is willing to take on apprentices. The
company has really supported me, and I feel it will allow me to progress
my career. It’s clear that proper training and qualifications is the way
forward, not just for me but for other young people. If you have a can-
do attitude and are willing to learn I think the sky’s the limit in this
industry!”
Marc Henson, Kubu’s Head of Marketing added:
“Morgan has been an inspiration in our team. She has proven time and
again that apprenticeships really do work. With the right attitude – both
from Morgan and our staff to support her progression – Morgan has
become an integral part of our team, and will only go from strength to
strength.
“Being fairly new to the fenestration, glass and glazing industry myself,
I’ve got to say I’m surprised at the sheer scope of roles available – from
technical IT roles, such as engineering and programming, to highly skilled
manual roles and everything in between. There really is a place for
everyone – and it’s so friendly too!”
Building Our Skills’ Partnerships Manager, Mark Handley says:
"All of us here at Building Our Skills congratulate Morgan on her success,
and we wish her well in her future career too of course. She is a shining
example of how the apprenticeship system can work for the benefit of
both the apprentice and the business concerned."
With over 50 career paths available in the fenestration industry, Building
our Skills is helping to promote this diversity of opportunities. The
campaign underlines that there are a multitude of career paths, from
design, manufacturing, installation, marketing, finance or IT to
warehousing and many others.
To find out more, either as someone looking for a career in the industry
or as an employer wanting to help to promote it as a great home for
training and career progression, visit https://buildingourskills.co.uk/.
