We’re rounding off National Apprenticeship Week by chatting to Steve Dunning, Repairs, Mechanical & Electrical (M&E) and Compliance Business Manager. Steve joined us back in 1979 as an engineer apprentice and went on to work his way up this area of the business. Here he tells us his story which we hope will inspire the next generation.
Take us back to the beginning of your Livv career. When did you start with us as an apprentice and what was your role?
I started working for Knowsley Council (before we later evolved to become Livv) back in September 1979 as a fresh faced 16-year-old. I was a Heating and Ventilation Engineer Apprentice for four years and spent time out on-site alongside studying at the Liverpool College of Further Education.
There are two others that are still here as part of the 1979 intake, Steve Booth and Graham Hill. We’ve come a long way!
Why did you choose the apprenticeship route?
My first ever job was in an admin role which quickly made me realise that a shirt and tie wasn’t for me at that young age. I was always good at fixing things, so it seemed like a natural progression into an engineer role and that’s when I found the apprenticeship.
How did you progress from an apprentice?
After I finished my apprenticeship in 1983, I was offered a permanent job as a heating engineer. This was a great opportunity for me but also a much-needed extra source of income for my family. I still remember the pain of having to pay keep to my mum every Thursday after pay day. She’d have to chase me round the kitchen table with her slipper to make me give in!
I was an engineer from 1983 through to 2004 when I then took up the role of Gas Supervisor. I felt it was time for me to step away from working on the tools and that I could lead the Gas Team to achieve greater results.
And when did you get into a managerial role?
I really enjoyed leading the Gas Team so naturally the next step for me was to apply for the position of M&E Contract Manager in 2007. Here I was given the responsibility of overseeing the Gas and Electrical Teams.
In 2018, I was then promoted to Repairs, M&E and Compliance Business Manager, which is the role I’m currently in. This broadened my responsibilities to include Responsive Repairs, Facilities Management, Gas, Electrical, and Care and Repair. Every day brings new challenges and they’re great teams to work with.
How would you describe your career journey?
Each of my roles felt like a natural next step up from the last and each one gave me the skills and knowledge to be able to succeed in the next. You could say my career has come full circle as I started – and am now back – in an office job. I still haven’t got used to the tie though!
This year’s National Apprenticeship Week theme is ‘Skills for Life’. How did the skills you gained during your apprenticeship set you up for your career?
I’ve always had an inquisitive mind and this was honed during my apprenticeship. The engineers that supported me throughout my apprenticeship were only too happy to share their knowledge with me so I embraced it. I continue to embrace any knowledge offered and try to use it to forge my own path.
It’s fair to say your learning doesn’t stop at the end of your apprenticeship and if you’re willing to commit yourself to the role, you’ll learn something new every day of your career.
What advice would you give to a young person thinking of doing an apprenticeship?
Embrace the present because it will soon be the past.
It’s not your mistakes that determine your future, it’s what you learn from them.
Listen twice as much as you talk (that’s why you have two ears and one mouth!).
Always try to live by the mantra of ‘’What’s the right thing to do?’’.
And most of all, make the most of the opportunity you’ve been given.
What’s the best thing about working at Livv?
It seems a bit clichéd but the people. They’re the lifeblood of Livv.