This National Apprenticeship Week, our group director of estates Steven Taylor is sharing his journey from an apprentice electrician to spearheading estates and capital planning for University Hospitals Tees.
Steven Taylor kickstarted his professional career as an apprentice electrician at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust in 1989.
As a budding apprentice electrician, Steven assisted the estates team with the maintenance, repair and installation of electrical systems across the hospital sites.
Here he developed a specialised skill set working under the supervision of experienced electricians and performing installation and maintenance tasks in order to ensure the effective operation of various electrical equipment.
Steven said: “My apprenticeship has been a rewarding experience for me and has helped me gain knowledge to work in diverse areas.”
Here, he developed a passion for not just maintaining the estates but also seeking ways how to improve the trust estate that would benefit patients.
Post-apprenticeship
Following his apprenticeship, Steve completed a bachelor’s in engineering from the University of Sunderland in 1995.
Armed with a specialised degree and a wealth of experience, Steve took up the role of project officer at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in 2005.
Slowly and steadily, Steven climbed the professional ladder and rose through the ranks in the trust. Throughout his time, he was commended for his proactive approach to problems and was a team player. He was credited for helping the estates team in the smooth running, general upkeep and maintenance of both trust estates and their properties.
Steven moved on from his role in South Tees and shifted his base to neighbouring NTH Solutions in 2006 – a subsidiary company of North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, providing estates, facilities and support services.
Following last year’s formation of University Hospitals Tees, Steven was appointed as the first group director of estates, capital planning and facilities.
As a director of a hospital group with a combined budget of £1.2billion and more than 15,000 staff, he strives to not only provide the best possible estates, facilities and procurement services to patients but to look outside the organisation for opportunities where collective skills and knowledge could bring in external income for the benefit of our patients.
Kickstart your career
Talking about why apprenticeship is key for individuals looking for some inspiration, Steven said: “Apprenticeships present a fantastic opportunity to kickstart your career and gain access to a company or a sector you want to work in.
“While doing an apprenticeship, you will learn skills that are relevant to the sector you desire to work in and gain valuable work experience while getting paid.
“My advice would be to definitely go for an apprenticeship if you can.”
If you are a staff member employed at South Tees Hospitals, you can visit our STRIVE apprenticeship page to learn more about any apprenticeships.
Non-staff members can also visit the Gov.uk website to find out their desired apprenticeships.