Two young apprentices at a cyber business in Bristol have impressed their employers with their IT skills so much they have been fast-tracked to work on high profile security projects.
Dan Marsh and Oliver Kelliher-Swash, both 18, are first year apprentices with the aerospace giant Leonadro’s 海角视频 cyber and homeland security specialist team, based in Bristol Business Park, Stoke Gifford.
They were among the first of the firm’s employees to be onboarded remotely during the Coronavirus pandemic. Their only contact with the physical office has been to collect their laptops and equipment at the beginning of their apprenticeship.
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Despite this, the pair have wowed their seniors with the ability to quickly master the concept of virtual computing while working remotely.
During their apprenticeship they have been mentored by Leonardo Senior Systems Engineer Damindra Gunatillake. Mr Gunatillake noticed Dan and Oliver’s potential during their first project, to create a business proposal for a fictional professional gamer.
Not only did they set up an array of advanced technical support, the duo were able to also extend their concept to include an ergonomic workspace which considered the long hours the professional gamer would spend at their computer.
Mr Gunatillake said: “Because Dan and Oliver were amongst our first intake to be onboarded remotely, we were initially concerned about what their experience would be like.
“But within only a few short months their projects outlined the principles of data management and programming so professionally, we knew we could fast track them on to a live internal cost analysis programme.
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“We wouldn’t normally put first year cyber apprentices on such a high profile project, but our trust in their abilities is such that we are already putting them on other projects to monitor customer security.”
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Dan and Oliver have also been working alongside final year cyber apprentice Alex Cameron, a former winner of Business Live sister website Bristol Live’s Outstanding Apprentice of the Year Award in the Technical and Creative Industry.
Mr Cameron praised their progress with virtual computing, which is still in its early stages of development across the cyber industry in the 海角视频.
Mr Cameron said: “Increasingly in the current climate, virtual computers underpin huge amounts of infrastructure across the world. So instead of having to spend £1,000 on each computer, you can spend the same amount on one computer and have potentially hundreds of computers running off that virtually. What Dan and Oliver have achieved has been absolutely spectacular – the breadth and depth of their knowledge is really impressive.”
Dan, who attended John Cabot Academy in Kingswood, South Gloucestershire, said he had found some benefits to working remotely. He said: “I live on the opposite side of Bristol so it would normally take me one and a quarter hours each way so it means the time I would have spent on a bus can now be focused on my work, which has only improved my performance.
“I speak with people on a daily basis via our computer chat function and morale amongst my colleagues is really good and people always send me thank you messages if I have helped them, so it has been a great experience.”
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His colleague Oliver added: “It definitely puts more emphasis on being independent and being able to shape your day so you are productive, but you are also taking care of your own wellbeing.
“That wellbeing aspect is something we always try to build into our projects too. Although we are working remotely we still feel involved and invited to participate as part of a wider team.”
Both cyber apprentices are currently studying towards a BTEC Infrastructure Technician qualification at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College. They are hopeful that many more of their peers will be able to follow them into the industry by taking online cyber security courses.
Dan said: “There are countless free courses online that can help you understand cyber security – the more you learn the more interesting it gets!”