Jake’s Story

I came out of college looking for an M&E apprenticeship and I’ve been at CTS for more than eleven years now. I had an interview with Sean, and we got on very well. Sean was really welcoming, and I was offered a position as an apprentice.

From day one I was looked after with tools, travel, PPE, supplies and moral support. I know from speaking around that these are some of the things that are missing at other companies. From the off, I was assisting on prestigious sites like the London School of Economics and Greenwich University.

I started to gain more qualifications

I started to take a shine to the water treatment side of the business and after my first appraisal with Sean it was decided I would focus on this area. Through the Water Management Society in Tamworth, I studied over 20 courses from on-site training, theory, Legionella Awareness, Disinfection of Hot and Cold Water systems and Boiler Chemistry. I really started to grow in the role and felt comfortable with more responsibility.

After my third year on the job and with my qualifications supporting my work, I started to manage my own projects. I had some valuable experiences at Elephant Park, White City Living, the Ben Ainslie Racing HQ and the RNLI. I could see that when I work hard, I was looked after.

I learnt the importance of leadership on site

It starts with the basics like clothing, vans, equipment and project preparation. We look competent and that’s because we are. Clients say that we’re levels above. We’re on sites where work is split between contractors, and you can see the difference. We look, feel, and go about our business in all the right ways. Our vehicles are all new models and look great with CTS branding. This is a policy that comes right from the top. It’s one of the reasons we get so many recommendations from one site to the next.

The company is growing steadily

When I started working at CTS we used to do projects as small as a single office floor fit-out, but over the decade I’ve been here we have grown from 8 engineers to more than 30 and now we are working on high rise commercial and residential buildings, specialist pharma projects and government sites.

CTS is more than an employer

When people are sick or in need of something in their personal life, CTS are amazing. I used to be an International Taekwondo fighter and CTS would organise my flights, wish me well and tell me to do them proud. In medical emergencies we’ve been there for each other too. All of our partners and families are welcome and involved in company functions. Our offices are relaxed and friendly, but they’re also industrious and a place where the work gets done.

What’s next for Jake?

I can lead well on site. I’m great at understanding what a site needs and being there to receive the first deliveries and arrange personnel and site plans, making sure projects run smoothly and on-time. That’s all about the details, safety and people skills. But there’s much for me to learn before jobs get there. I want to learn about tendering and the operational planning of projects. I can see myself getting involved in more of our international projects.