SPARKS | INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW SPARKY NINJA David Watts, aka SparkyNinja, has twenty years’ experience in the industry and is a founding member of the e5 group. He now runs a training company and works to try to improve training standards and help apprentices online.
“THIS INDUSTRY HAS FAR MORE TO OFFER THAN YOU MIGHT THINK AS AN APPRENTICE.” SPARKS: Where do you want to be in five years’ time?
SPARKS MAGAZINE: Why did you decide on this trade?
SN: I want to be in a position where electricians are trained and practising to higher technical levels and the industry takes more action in safeguarding the public from the risks of incompetent electrical workers. Whether my part in achieving that is just by providing quality electrical training, getting more directly involved in the EngTech Elec strategies or pushing forward with the argument for a licence to practise, remains to be seen. The next 18 months are going to be interesting.
SPARKY NINJA: I did well at school but I had no idea what I wanted to do as a career. My dad and grandad were electricians, running a family firm. They said if I took on an apprenticeship I would learn life skills that would ensure I was never without work. They were right. SPARKS: What advice would you give someone just starting out? SN: This industry keeps reinventing training routes, qualifications, registration schemes and card schemes - it can often appear daunting when first starting out. Fundamentally, the science behind electrical systems and how it’s utilised doesn’t change too often. So keep going back to the basics with your technical knowledge and things won’t appear too confusing over time.
electricians can start using them and take a more sensible approach to condition monitoring of electrical systems.
SPARKS: What tool could you not do without?
SPARKS: What’s the best thing about your job?
SN: A thermal imaging camera.
SN: The feedback I receive from electricians after they have taken part in my training. My training is tough and heavy in technical content, but it is delivered in a way that makes electricians understand it more easily.
SPARKS: How does social media affect your business? What do you use it for? SN: Social media has helped to build a solid reputation, which has given me the opportunity to take SparkyNinja forward as a training company. SPARKS: Which bit of new technology are you most interested in? SN: Power monitoring equipment. It’s becoming more affordable, meaning more
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SPARKS: What would you be doing if you weren’t an electrician? SN: I would probably be in the emergency services for a full time job and training to develop video games on the side.
SPARKS: Who has been the biggest influence on your career and why? SN: Most probably my dad. He started to lecture at a local FE college and asked me to get involved. From that point, training has been my main focus.
| AUTUMN 2021 > WWW.SPARKS-MAGAZINE.CO.UK
HANDY HINT
Start recording your work diary from the very beginning. This will help with continuing professional development (CPD) in the long term. If you have permission to use your phone on site, take photos of all of your work and reflect on what you know and what you don’t know.
@SparkyNinja
@e5_group
