In celebration of National Apprentice Week, follow along for a day in the life of Kaylem Richards, a 2nd year Refrigeration Apprentice at Marshall Fleet Solutions
My day as an MFS Refrigeration Apprentice starts when I arrive at the depot in Leeds, where my first task is to find out which engineers need assistance and on which jobs. When I am working in the depot, I spend most of my time focusing on big jobs like changing condensers, repairing accident damaged units and swapping compressors, to name just a few. Today’s job is swapping a condenser on a T-800 truck unit.
For the past few days, I have been out on customers sites with engineers getting a better understanding of the diagnostics side of the job to further my learning. These diagnostics show us what the specific fault is with the unit, which helps us to identify the problem and make a repair to get the vehicle back on the road as quickly as possible.
What people don’t realise about being an apprentice is how hard you have to work. You’re thrown right into the deep end on the job and given the opportunity to learn and try to work things out for yourself, under careful guidance from your mentor. My favourite part of my day is when I have found the solution to a problem on a fridge unit that has had me struggling for a while – it’s so rewarding!
Throughout the rest of my day, I interact with everybody that works in the Leeds depot, from other engineers to service controllers. Everyone I work with is so friendly and more than willing to help me move my learning forward, no matter what the task. As well as the time I spend at the depot, getting hands-on with the vehicles and learning from my colleagues, I also study at City of Liverpool College. I am in the 2nd year of my apprenticeship, and I have learned so much since I joined Marshall back in December 2020.
At the end of my working day, I clean up my tools as well as any parts I have had out around the workshop and any mess I have made. I then recap my day with Lead Engineer, Mark Donovan before heading home.