Finding a New Direction Through Apprenticeships

In celebration of National Apprenticeship Week, we’re taking time to highlight the experiences of apprentices who are building their careers through hands‑on learning. One of them is Joe Ryland, an apprentice heavy vehicle technician balancing college studies with practical training at Sunderland City Council. Here, he shares his journey and his aspirations for the future.

I’m Joe Ryland, a student at Gateshead College and an apprentice heavy vehicle technician at Sunderland City Council. After studying a completely different subject at university and eventually falling out of love with it, I discovered the apprenticeship scheme delivered in partnership between the two organisations.

Working as a heavy vehicle technician here means mainly repairing and maintaining road gritters, bin wagons, crane wagons and much more. We also get opportunities to work on smaller vans such as Ford Transits and sometimes even carry out small jobs on fleet vehicles like Skodas and Nissans.

Because of this, I think the role offers a great variety of work, which keeps things interesting and stops the daily graft from becoming tedious. At the same time, the more repetitive tasks help build pattern recognition and diagnostic skills.

I chose an apprenticeship because, at the age of 23, I couldn’t afford—and didn’t want—to return to full‑time education. But I knew that to achieve my ambitions, I needed both theoretical and practical knowledge in my field. An apprenticeship offered the perfect combination of both, along with the benefit of being paid while learning.

No two days are the same, but a typical Monday might start at 7:30am preparing that week’s bin wagon for its MOT on Friday. Some days are busier than others. You may be handed a job card that indicates a quick fix while the driver waits to get back on the road as soon as possible. Other times, the job needs further investigation and turns into a small project of your own.

My favourite task so far has probably been being trusted to replace a water pump on a bin wagon. It was considered a big job for me to take on without being supervised closely, and it gave me a real confidence boost.

Thankfully, I didn’t cause any major faults—something that’s easy to do as an apprentice when every task requires following specific procedures.

There hasn’t been one single stand‑out moment of my apprenticeship; rather, I’m just grateful to be in the position I’m in. It’s the perfect route if you want to learn something you might know absolutely nothing about beforehand, while still being treated like an adult—and being paid to learn.

The hardest challenge so far was taking the initial step into a world that was completely new to me. Some people you study or work alongside may have grown up in garages surrounded by vehicles, with a long family line of mechanics and hands‑on experience from a young age. I had none of that; I hadn’t rebuilt an engine at 15 like some of them had.

But you have to remind yourself that everyone is on their own path. Rather than being intimidated, you can choose to befriend people, share ideas and learn quickly without needing to have grown up in the environment—as long as you’re willing to put in the effort.

By the end of my apprenticeship, I’d love to stay where I work. In my mind I have a level of skill I want to reach. It might not be something you can easily measure, but I’ll know when I’m confident working alone on most jobs that come my way. Over time, I want to build my knowledge and portfolio and eventually become a master technician—maybe even moving on to big, exciting opportunities if they come along.