Success Story, John McKenna
Having joined Mercia Partnership’s IT Apprenticeship programme in July 2008, it was clear from an early stage that John McKenna had a real flair and enthusiasm for IT. During the course, John enhanced his practical skills in networking, technical support and further built upon his existing customer support skills that would enable him to pursue his desired career path.
Meantime, a three month temporary position within Mercia’s IT department became available, and as John explains, the course had prepared him well, “Although I knew much of the theory and had practiced with computers at home, ensuring that I understood how this would work from a business perspective was very useful.” John’s application was successful and he commenced his role as an ICT support technician on Wednesday 10th November 2008.
Working as part of the IT support team, it was imperative from the beginning that John could accept instructions and execute these in a professional manner. IT manager, Craig Bohannon, was impressed from day one; “It was clear during the interview that John had an excellent knowledge of computers. Transferring these skills into an IT environment that supports a business can often cause difficulties. John had learnt a great deal on his course and understood that business IT is very different from home computing. I was very pleased that he made the transition very quickly and not only was able to resolve issues quickly and efficiently but was also confident enough to suggest different working practices.”
Such was the impact that John made, his three month position has recently been confirmed as a full time post, much to John’s delight; “The fact that I have been able to secure my first position in an IT environment is great news for me. I owe a great deal to the Mercia tutors for preparing me for the role. Likewise, since I have joined the team I have had excellent support from my colleagues. I’m loving it!”
